Table 1.

Baseline characteristics of the study cohorts

	HPFS (n = 41,937)	NHS I (n = 59,740)	NHS II (n = 90,449)
Age, years (mean ± SD)	54.2 ± 9.7	52.9 ± 7.1	36.6 ± 4.6
BMI, kg/m2 (mean ± SD)	25.5 ± 3.4	25.2 ± 4.7	24.6 ± 5.3
White race (%)	94.9	94.5	93.8
History of diabetes (%)	3.0	3.4	1.0
History of hypertension (%)	21.4	24.5	6.3
Use of thiazide diuretics (%)	9.0	13.5	1.7
Higher BMI (%)	53.1	42.2	34.1
Lower fluid intake (%)	57.1	52.9	48.0
Lower DASH-style diet (%)	80.3	79.1	81.1
Lower dietary calcium intake (%)	79.4	79.9	79.8
Higher SSB intake (%)	27.1	19.3	32.0

BMI, body mass index; HPFS, Health Professionals Follow-up Study; NHS, Nurses’ Health Study; SD, standard deviation; SSB, sugar-sweetened beverages.