Table 1.
Sociodemographic, dietary habits and health status parameters.
| Middle-aged controls | Middle-aged rugby players | Young controls | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 25 | N = 24 | N = 21 | ||
| Sociodemographic variables | ||||
| Age (years) | 56.0 ± 5.9 | 54.3 ± 6.6 | 20.9 ± 2.2***,### | <0.0001 |
| Schooling (years) | 14.4 ± 3.3 | 14.9 ± 3.4 | ND | 0.5885 |
| Clinical and genetic variables | ||||
| Body mass index (Kg/m2) | 28.4 ± 3.9 | 28.9 ± 2.7 | 24.2 ± 4.6**,### | 0.0001 |
| Hypertension | ||||
| Diagnosis (N, %) | 10 (40%) | 10 (41.7%) | 1 (4.8%)**,## | 0.0105 |
| Treatment (N, %) | 5 (20%) | 5 (20.8%) | 0 (0%) | 0.0818 |
| Hyperglycemia | ||||
| Diagnosis (N, %) | 5 (20%) | 3 (12.5%) | 0 (0%) | 0.1027 |
| Treatment (N, %) | 2 (8%) | 1 (4.2%) | 0 (0%) | 0.4103 |
| APOE ε4 (N, %)1 | 7 (28%) | 5 (21%) | 4 (19%) | 0.7395 |
| Concussion2 (N, %) | 4 (16%) | 12 (50%)* | ND | 0.0157 |
| Smoking and dietary habits | ||||
| Tobacco use (N, %) | ||||
| Never | 9 (36%) | 12 (50%) | 13 (62%) | |
| Former | 8 (32%) | 8 (33.3%) | 1 (4.8%) | 0.0994 |
| Current | 8 (32%) | 4 (16.7%) | 7 (33%) | |
| Fruit consumption (servings/week) | 12 (7–21) | 5 (3–14) | 3 (2–14)* | 0.0362 |
| Vegetable consumption (servings/week) | 6 (4–14) | 5.5 (4–8.25) | 8 (4–14) | 0.6481 |
| Alcohol drinking frequency3 | 3 (2–5) | 3 (2–4.75) | 2 (1–3) | 0.1680 |
| Psychological variables | ||||
| Hamilton rating scale for anxiety | 8.1 ± 1.9 | 8.0 ± 2.0 | 9.4 ± 3.2 | 0.0926 |
| Hamilton rating scale for depression | 8.4 ± 1.4 | 9.1 ± 1.4 | 8.4 ± 2.5 | 0.3037 |
| Pittsburgh sleep quality index | 5.3 ± 2.6 | 4.7 ± 2.2 | 5.6 ± 1.8 | 0.4175 |
| Memory functioning Q | 93.8 ± 10.3 | 91.7 ± 13.6 | 84.8 ± 12.3* | 0.0466 |
| Cognitive reserve variables Q | 13.8 ± 3.0 | 16.8 ± 3.3* | 14.2 ± 2.9## | 0.0021 |
Data are presented as mean ± SD, median (IQR), or number (%). Statistics: ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis test, followed by Tukey’s test or Dunn’s test, respectively, Chi squared test, or Student’s t-test, where appropriated; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 compared to Middle-aged control group, ##P < 0.01, ###P < 0.01 compared to Middle-aged rugby player group. ND, not determined. NOTES: 1subjects with one allele (no subjects with two alleles were detected; 2subjects with at least one episode; 3alcohol drinking last year: from 0, no drinking, to 5, daily intake.