TABLE 3.
Association between health-related characteristics and following a gluten-free diet
| Gluten-free diet | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Health-related characteristics | No, n (%) | Yes, n (%) | OR1 (95% CI)2 |
| High blood pressure or using antihypertensives | 58,317 (47.5) | 592 (33.3) | 0.70 (0.63, 0.78) |
| Using cholesterol-lowering medication | 18,268 (14.5) | 120 (6.8) | 0.56 (0.46, 0.67) |
| Using insulin | 922 (0.8) | 9 (0.5) | 0.76 (0.39, 1.47) |
| Using analgesic medications | 43,343 (35.6) | 642 (36.4) | 1.02 (0.92, 1.12) |
| Using medications for constipation/heartburn | 10,045 (8.3) | 222 (12.6) | 1.52 (1.32, 1.76) |
| Overall health rating | |||
| Excellent | 26,674 (21.8) | 276 (15.6) | 0.66 (0.57, 0.75) |
| Good | 73,211 (59.8) | 1059 (59.9) | 1 (Ref) |
| Fair | 19,384 (15.8) | 338 (19.1) | 1.31 (1.16, 1.49) |
| Poor | 3165 (2.6) | 95 (5.4) | 2.10 (1.68, 2.63) |
| Long-standing illness | 34,594 (28.7) | 703 (40.8) | 1.82 (1.64, 2.01) |
1
ORs were calculated using logistic regression.
2
Models adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, Townsend deprivation score, education, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, and BMI.