Table 1. Baseline cardiovascular risk factors by quintiles of chocolate intake in 20,951 men and women of EPIC-Norfolk.
| Quintiles of daily chocolate intake | Quintile 1 | Quintile 2 | Quintile 3 | Quintile 4 | Quintile 5 | P | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range (g/d) | 0 | 0.6-3.5 | 4.1-7.0 | 7.2-15.5 | 15.6-98.8 | ||
| Median (interquartile range) (g/d) | |||||||
| Chocolate intake | 0 | 1.1 (0.6,3.4) | 4.6 (4.1,6.3) | 9.2 (8.1,12.0) | 24.9 (22.1,39.5) | ||
| Chocolate singles | 0 | 0.6 (0.0,1.1) | 0.6 (0.6,1.1) | 1.1 (0.6,3.4) | 1.1 (0.6,3.4) | ||
| Chocolate bars | 0 | 0.0 (0.0,0.0) | 3.5 (3.5,3.5) | 7.0 (0.0,7.0) | 21.5 (21.5,21.5) | ||
| Chocolate beverage | 0 | 0.0 (0.0,0.0) | 0.0 (0.0,0.8) | 0.8 (0.0,5.2) | 0.0 (0.0,5.2) | ||
| N | 4195 | 4437 | 4035 | 4106 | 4178 | 20,951 | |
| Sex, men | 44.1 (1852) | 43.4 (1927) | 40.8 (1648) | 43.5 (1786) | 47.9 (2001) | < 0.001 | 44.0 (9214) |
| Age, years | 61 ± 9 | 60 ± 9 | 58 ± 9 | 59 ± 9 | 57 ± 9 | < 0.001 | 59 ± 9 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 26.3 ± 4.1 | 26.1 ± 3.8 | 26.3 ± 3.7 | 26.2 ± 3.8 | 26.0 ± 3.7 | < 0.001 | 26.2 ± 3.8 |
| Waist/hip ratio* | 0.86 ± 0.09 | 0.85 ± 0.09 | 0.84 ± 0.09 | 0.85 ± 0.09 | 0.85 ± 0.09 | < 0.001 | 0.85 ± 0.09 |
| Smoking - current | 10.5 (440) | 10.7 (473) | 11.4 (459) | 11.4 (469) | 13.0 (543) | < 0.001 | 11.4 (2384) |
| - previous | 44.0 (1847) | 43.1 (1914) | 40.1 (1618) | 40.9 (1678) | 38.5 (1610) | 41.4 (8667) | |
| - never | 45.5 (1908) | 46.2 (2050) | 48.5 (1958) | 47.7 (1959) | 48.5 (2025) | 47.3 (9900) | |
| Diabetes mellitus | 4.6 (193) | 1.6 (73) | 0.9 (38) | 0.9 (38) | 0.7 (29) | < 0.001 | 1.8 (371) |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 137 ± 19 | 136 ± 18 | 134 ± 18 | 134 ± 18 | 135 ± 17 | < 0.001 | 135 ± 18 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 83 ± 11 | 83 ± 11 | 82 ± 11 | 82 ± 11 | 82 ± 11 | 0.010 | 82 ± 11 |
| Total cholesterol, mmol/l | 6.2 ± 1.1 | 6.2 ± 1.1 | 6.1 ± 1.1 | 6.1 ± 1.1 | 6.1 ± 1.1 | 0.001 | 6.1 ± 1.1 |
| LDL-cholesterol, mmol/l | 4.0 ± 1.0 | 4.0 ± 1.0 | 3.9 ± 1.0 | 4.0 ± 1.0 | 3.9 ± 1.0 | 0.07 | 4.0 ± 1.0 |
| HDL-cholesterol, mmol/l | 1.43 ± 0.43 | 1.43 ± 0.42 | 1.44 ± 0.42 | 1.43 ± 0.41 | 1.40 ± 0.41 | < 0.001 | 1.43 ± 0.42 |
| Triglycerides, mmol/l | 1.5 (1.1-2.2) | 1.5 (1.1-2.1) | 1.5 (1.0-2.1) | 1.5 (1.1-2.1) | 1.5 (1.1-2.1) | 0.20 | 1.5 (1.1-2.1) |
| Apolipoprotein AI, mg/dl* | 156 ± 35 | 157 ± 35 | 157 ± 35 | 156 ± 34 | 155 ± 36 | 0.29 | 156 ± 35 |
| Apolipoprotein B, mg/dl* | 97 ± 26 | 97 ± 25 | 96 ± 25 | 96 ± 26 | 94 ± 25 | 0.001 | 96 ± 26 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/l* | 1.6 (0.8-3.2) | 1.5 (0.7-3.2) | 1.5 (0.7-3.2) | 1.4 (0.7-3.1) | 1.4 (0.7-2.9) | < 0.001 | 1.5 (0.7-3.1) |
| Physical activity - Inactive | 32.7 (1373) | 28.6 (1267) | 26.9 (1084) | 27.6 (1134) | 27.2 (1138) | < 0.001 | 28.6 (5996) |
| - Moderately inactive | 27.5 (1153) | 30.2 (1340) | 29.4 (1188) | 30.2 (1241) | 28.1 (1174) | 29.1 (6096) | |
| - Moderately active | 21.8 (914) | 23.7 (1051) | 24.1 (971) | 22.8 (936) | 24.3 (1015) | 23.3 (4887) | |
| - Active | 18.0 (755) | 17.6 (779) | 19.6 (792) | 19.4 (795) | 20.4 (851) | 19.0 (3972) | |
| Energy intake by FFQ, kJ/day | 7754 ± 2264 | 8043 ± 2233 | 8359 ± 2311 | 8934 ± 2411 | 9854 ± 2664 | < 0.001 | 8584 ± 2494 |
| Protein intake by FFQ, %en | 17.4 ± 3.4 | 17.3 ± 3.2 | 17.1 ± 3.0 | 16.7 ± 2.9 | 15.5 ± 2.7 | < 0.001 | 16.9 ± 3.2 |
| Fat intake by FFQ, %en | 32.8 ± 6.7 | 33.8 ± 6.2 | 34.3 ± 6.1 | 34.7 ± 5.7 | 35.8 ± 5.4 | < 0.001 | 34.3 ± 6.1 |
| Carbohydrate intake by FFQ, %en | 47.8 ± 7.0 | 47.3 ± 6.3 | 47.3 ± 6.1 | 47.8 ± 5.7 | 48.0 ± 5.5 | < 0.001 | 47.7 ± 6.2 |
| Alcohol intake by FFQ, %en | 3.3 ± 5.3 | 3.4 ± 4.7 | 3.1 ± 4.2 | 2.7 ± 3.6 | 2.5 ± 3.5 | < 0.001 | 3.0 ± 4.3 |
| Alcohol intake by HLQ, units/week | 3 (1-10) | 4 (2-11) | 4 (2-10) | 4 (1-9) | 4 (1-10) | < 0.001 | 4 (1-10) |
Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation, percentage (number) or median (interquartile range). Differences between groups were analysed by ANOVA for continuous variables, and by Chi-square test for categorical variables. Continuous variables with a skewed distribution (triglycerides, C-reactive protein, alcohol intake) were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test.
*
These variables have missing data: Nwaist/hip ratio= 20,928; NApoAI=16,035; NApoB=16022; NCRP=16,162.