TABLE 1.
Characteristics of participants of the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health study
| Characteristics | Men (n = 2,314) | Women (n = 1,317) |
| Age (years) | 57.3 (53.3, 61.4) | 57.3 (53.2, 61.2) |
| Educational attainment (years), n = 3,628 | ||
| ≤7 | 945 (40.8) | 490 (37.2) |
| 8–10 | 864 (37.3) | 644 (48.9) |
| >10 | 503 (21.7) | 182 (13.8) |
| CHD during 10 years of follow-up | 1,437 (62.1) | 524 (39.8) |
| Diabetesa | 102 (4.4) | 30 (2.3) |
| Hypertension,a n = 3,129 | 446 (19.3) | 295 (22.4) |
| Hypercholesterolemia,a n = 2,114 | 266 (11.5) | 117 (8.9) |
| Hormone therapy use,b n = 834 | — | 179 (21.5) |
| Diabetes medication intake | 30 (1.3) | 11 (0.8) |
| Antihypertensive medication intake | 347 (15.0) | 229 (17.4) |
| Cholesterol lowering medication intake | 62 (2.7) | 27 (2.1) |
| HDL-C (mg/dl), n = 3,617 | 45.0 (34.8, 56.9) | 56.6 (45.1, 71.0) |
| Triglycerides (mmol/l) | 1.9 (1.3, 2.7) | 1.4 (1.0, 2.0) |
| Total HDLc (mg/dl) | 129 (105, 158) | 145 (119, 118) |
| HDL containing apoC-III (mg/dl) | 10.9 (7.4, 15.9) | 11.8 (8.2, 16.6) |
| HDL not containing apoC-III (mg/dl) | 117 (95, 143) | 133 (107, 163) |
| Proportion of HDL containing apoC-III (%) | 9 (6, 12) | 8 (6, 11) |
| Anthropometry | ||
| Waist circumference (cm), n = 3,630 | 96 (91, 103) | 81 (74, 90) |
| Waist-to-hip ratio, n = 3,629 | 0.96 (0.92, 1.00) | 0.81 (0.76, 0.86) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.7 (24.6, 29.1) | 25.0 (22.7, 28.3) |
| BMI categories (kg/m2) | ||
| <25 | 696 (30.1) | 652 (49.5) |
| 25–<30 | 1,179 (51.0) | 447 (33.9) |
| ≥30 | 439 (19.0) | 218 (16.6) |
| Body composition, n = 3,619 | ||
| Fat mass (kg) | 22.4 (18.2, 27.7) | 23.8 (18.9, 29.6) |
| Fat percentage | 27.2 (23.8, 30.9) | 35.0 (30.6, 39.7) |
| Lifestyle factors | ||
| Physical activity (MET h/week), n = 3,620 | 57.5 (36.5, 86.5) | 62.8 (41.3, 92.5) |
| Time spent on sport activities (h/week) | 0 (0, 2) | 1 (0, 2) |
| Time spent cycling (h/week) | 1 (0, 3) | 1 (0, 3) |
| Time spent walking (h/week) | 3 (1, 5) | 3 (2, 5) |
| Time spent gardening (h/week) | 2 (1, 4) | 1 (0, 3) |
| Smoking status | ||
| Never smoker | 477 (20.6) | 474 (36.0) |
| Former smoker | 730 (31.6) | 262 (19.9) |
| Light current smoker (<15 g/day) | 265 (11.5) | 253 (19.2) |
| Moderate current smoker(15–25 g/day) | 500 (21.6) | 273 (20.7) |
| Heavy current smoker (>25 g/day) | 342 (14.8) | 55 (4.2) |
| Alcohol consumption (g/day) | 18.9 (8.4, 38.5) | 7.2 (2.2, 15.4) |
| Low Mediterranean diet score (0–2 points) | 879 (38.0) | 377 (28.6) |
| Medium Mediterranean diet score (3–4 points) | 968 (41.8) | 542 (41.2) |
| High Mediterranean diet score (5–8 points) | 467 (20.2) | 398 (30.2) |
| Mediterranean diet components | ||
| Vegetables (g/day) | 141 (90, 203) | 154 (100, 224) |
| Fruits (g/day) | 110 (45, 189) | 162 (88, 260) |
| Legumes (g/day) | 0.3 (0.0, 1.5) | 0.3 (0.0, 1.6) |
| Fish (g/day) | 41 (27, 59) | 34 (23, 51) |
| Meat (g/day) | 207 (167, 256) | 142 (110, 179) |
| Dairy (g/day) | 292 (146, 590) | 305 (156, 565) |
| Cereals (g/day) | 200 (151, 250) | 159 (121, 203) |
| Ratio of unsaturated to saturated fat | 1.3 (1.2, 1.5) | 1.3 (1.1, 1.5) |
Continous characteristics are shown as medians (25th to 75th percentiles); n = 3,631 if not stated otherwise.
a
Self-reported physician-diagnosis.
b
Postmenopausal women only.
c
The concentration of HDL was quantified based on apoA-I levels, the major apolipoprotein component of HDL.