Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of cases (overall dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, AD) and non-cases participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Spain Dementia Cohort study (N = 16,160).
| Non-Cases (n = 15,701) |
Dementia Cases (n = 459) |
AD Cases (n = 308) |
p for Cases vs. Non-Cases | p for AD vs. Non-Cases | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (y) | 48.3 (12.1) | 59.6 (7.5) | 59.9 (7.2) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Female sex | 8,974 (57.2%) | 265 (57.7%) | 187 (60.7%) | 0.805 | 0.211 |
| Low educational level 1 | 11,215 (71.4%) | 407 (88.7%) | 273 (88.6%) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Smoking | <0.001 | <0.001 | |||
| Never | 8253 (52.6%) | 306 (66.7%) | 216 (70.1%) | ||
| Former | 2884 (18.4%) | 68 (14.8%) | 38 (12.3%) | ||
| Current | 4555 (29.0%) | 85 (18.5%) | 54 (17.5%) | ||
| Overweight or obese | 12,139 (77.3%) | 402 (87.6%) | 271 (88.0%) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Elevated waist circumference 2 | 6509 (41.5%) | 278 (60.6%) | 186 (60.4%) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Leisure time physical activity (MET 3·h/week) 4 | 86.6 (92.5) | 91.8 (93.0) | 96.1 (93.8) | 0.105 | 0.0635 |
| Energy intake (kcal/day) | 2062.4 (673.3) | 1964.2 (685.8) | 1931.9 (678.2) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Potatoes (g/day per 2000 kcal) | 72.1 (54.7) | 72.1 (56.6) | 68.9 (59.5) | 0.598 | 0.959 |
| Vegetables (g/day per 2000 kcal) | 235.9 (180.4) | 236.1 (174.6) | 240.1 (178.8) | 0.533 | 0.548 |
| Fruits (g/day per 2000 kcal) | 278.6 (270.9) | 321.2 (278.4) | 336.9 (300.7) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Legumes (g/day per 2000 kcal) | 42.8 (38.1) | 44.1 (40.6) | 41.6 (39.9) | 0.363 | 0.598 |
| Fish and seafood (g/day per 2000 kcal) | 52.0 (44.9) | 55.4 (47.3) | 57.8 (48.8) | 0.057 | 0.022 |
| Cereals (g/day per 2000 kcal) | 180.1 (93.6) | 178.3 (98.3) | 177.3 (99.2) | 0.947 | 0.565 |
| Olive oil (g/day per 2000 kcal) | 20.4 (20.6) | 20.0 (21.1) | 20.5 (22.1) | 0.304 | 0.990 |
| Nuts and seeds (g/day per 2000 kcal) | 0.0 (3.5) | 0.0 (2.9) | 0.0 (2.2) | 0.769 | 0.032 |
| Meat (g/day per 2000 kcal) | 120.2 (60.5) | 117.2 (60.1) | 116.9 (59.4) | 0.025 | 0.044 |
| Dairy products (g/day per 2000 kcal) | 247.6 (217.8) | 273.5 (249.6) | 278.8 (257.2) | 0.007 | 0.0021 |
| Eggs (g/day per 2000 kcal) | 22.6 (22.2) | 21.2 (25.2) | 21.0 (25.8) | 0.181 | 0.290 |
| Coffee and tea (mL/day) | 100.0 (157.1) | 62.9 (146.0) | 63.9 (146.0) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Alcohol (g/day) | 4.6 (20.2) | 3.2 (19.1) | 2.0 (14.5) | 0.016 | 0.002 |
| Mediterranean diet score (rMED) | 9.0 (4.0) | 9.0 (4.0) | 9.0 (4.0) | 0.539 | 0.617 |
Numbers are counts and percentages, or medians and inter-quartile ranges (IQR). p values obtained with Mann-Whitney U tests for continuous variables or X2 tests for categorical ones. 1 Primary studies or less. 2 Waist circumference ≥102 cm (men) or ≥88 cm (women). 3 MET: Metabolic equivalents. 4 Sum of recreational and household physical activities.