Table 1.
Basic characteristics and endpoints of the participants presented as mean (SD) or numbers (%)
| Variables | Men (n = 2555) | Women (n = 2858) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (year) | 60.4 (12.2) | 60.0 (12.8) | 0.27 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.3 (3.7) | 26.7 (4.6) | < 0.001 |
| Waist-to-hip-ratio | 0.95 (0.06) | 0.87 (0.07) | < 0.001 |
| Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) | 526 (20.6) | 595 (20.8) | 0.81 |
| Heavy exerciser† | 431 (16.9) | 433 (15.2) | 0.056 |
| Alcohol 2–3 times or more per week | 595 (23.3) | 511 (17.9) | < 0.001 |
| Heavy alcohol drinker‡ | 72 (2.8) | 15 (0.5) | < 0.001 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 140.6 (21.0) | 138.2 (25.7) | < 0.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 81.7 (10.3) | 76.0 (10.3) | < 0.001 |
| Hypertension | 1275 (49.9) | 1293 (45.2) | 0.001 |
| Diabetes | 151 (5.9) | 130 (4.5) | 0.031 |
| Coronary heart disease | 252 (9.9) | 86 (3.0) | < 0.001 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 5.50 (1.08) | 5.81 (1.11) | < 0.001 |
| HDL cholesterol (mmol/L) | 1.37 (0.38) | 1.66 (0.44) | < 0.001 |
| LDL cholesterol (mmol/L) | 3.54 (0.95) | 3.63 (0.98) | 0.001 |
| Total/HDL cholesterol ratio | 4.29 (1.36) | 3.71 (1.13) | < 0.001 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L) | 1.66 (0.99) | 1.43 (0.80) | < 0.001 |
| S-ALT (U/L) | 32.62 (19.4) | 26.30 (25.61) | < 0.001§ |
| High s-ALT (U/L) | 113 (4.4) | 188 (6.6) | 0.001 |
| S-AST (U/L) | 27.85 (9.96) | 25.25 (14.15) | < 0.001§ |
| S-GGT (U/L) | 37.17 (39.16) | 27.39 (37.95) | < 0.001§ |
| S-creatinine (µmol/L) | 77.91 (16.01) | 61.83 (12.83) | < 0.001 |
| Hs-CRP (mg/dl) | 2.66 (5.17) | 2.76 (5.76) | 0.59 |
| S-glucose (mmol/L) | 5.42 (1.31) | 5.17 (1.11) | < 0.001§ |
| HbA1C (%) | 5.78 (0.73) | 5.69 (0.63) | < 0.001§ |
ALT alanine aminotransferase, AST aspartate aminotransferase, BMI body mass index, HbA1C glycated haemoglobin, GGT gamma glutamyl transferase, HDL high density lipoprotein, Hs-CRP high-sensitive C-reactive protein, LDL low density lipoprotein, SD standard deviation
†Moderate or hard leisure exercise ≥ 2 h per week
‡Drinking ≥ 6 alcohol units ≥ 2 times per week
§Analyzed log-transformed