Table 1. Baseline characteristics of participants overall and by Qs of food biodiversity, EPIC cohort, 1992 to 2014.
| Qs of DSR | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | All | Q1 (n = 93,179) | Q2 (n = 96,994) | Q3 (n = 90,983) | Q4 (n = 90,424) | Q5 (n = 79,810) | |
| N (%) Mean ± SD | N (%) Mean ± SD | N (%) Mean ± SD | N (%) Mean ± SD | N (%) Mean ± SD | N (%) Mean ± SD | ||
| DSR, species per year a | 451,390 | 68 (40 to 83) | 41 (31 to 47) | 58 (50 to 64) | 69 (65 to 72) | 77 (73 to 81) | 83 (82 to 89) |
| Age at recruitment, years | 451,390 | 51 ± 10 | 52 ± 8 | 51 ± 9 | 49 ± 11 | 52 ± 9 | 51 ± 11 |
| Sex | 451,390 | ||||||
| Male | 131,782 (29.2) | 20,488 (22) | 27,100 (27.9) | 26,042 (28.6) | 28,936 (32) | 29,216 (36.6) | |
| Female | 319,608 (70.8) | 72,691 (78) | 69,894 (72.1) | 64,941 (71.4) | 61,488 (68) | 50,594 (63.4) | |
| Country | 451,390 | ||||||
| Denmark | 55,014 (12.2) | 947 (1.0) | 8,291 (80.5) | 16,642 (18.3) | 28,106 (31.1) | 1,028 (1.3) | |
| France | 67,920 (15) | 17,403 (18.7) | 14,085 (14.5) | 15,888 (17.5) | 15,722 (17.4) | 4,822 (6) | |
| Germany | 49,352 (10.9) | 98 (0.1) | 1,495 (1.5) | 4,182 (4.6) | 15,678 (17.3) | 27,899 (35) | |
| Italy | 44,547 (9.9) | 923 (1) | 12,879 (13.3) | 15,770 (17.3) | 11,844 (13.1) | 3,131 (3.9) | |
| the Netherlands | 36,538 (8.1) | 926 (1) | 14,165 (14.6) | 17,531 (19.3) | 3,916 (4.3) | 0 (0) | |
| Norway | 33,967 (7.5) | 25,488 (27.4) | 8,479 (8.7) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Spain | 39,990 (8.9) | 31,535 (33.8) | 8,359 (8.6) | 92 (0.1) | 4 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Sweden | 48,690 (10.8) | 15,721 (16.9) | 28,997 (29.9) | 3,966 (4.4) | 6 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| UK | 75,372 (16.7) | 138 (0.1) | 244 (0.3) | 16,912 (18.6) | 15,148 (16.8) | 42,930 (53.8) | |
| Marital status | 451,390 | ||||||
| Single, divorced, separated or widowed | 72,765 (16.1) | 9,676 (10.4) | 15,669 (16.2) | 18,008 (19.8) | 12,982 (14.4) | 16,430 (20.6) | |
| Married or living together | 270,976 (60.0) | 45,210 (48.5) | 62,090 (64.0) | 54,780 (60.2) | 48,008 (53.1) | 60,888 (76.3) | |
| Unknown | 107,649 (23.8) | 38,293 (41.1) | 19,235 (19.8) | 18,195 (20.0) | 29,434 (32.6) | 2,492 (3.1) | |
| Educational level | 451,390 | ||||||
| None or primary school completed | 126,948 (28.1) | 41,011 (44) | 32,422 (33.4) | 19,852 (21.8) | 20,603 (22.8) | 13,060 (16.4) | |
| Technical/professional school | 104,016 (23) | 16,096 (17.3) | 20,926 (21.6) | 20,765 (22.8) | 23,121 (25.6) | 23,108 (29) | |
| Secondary school | 94,181 (20.9) | 19,187 (20.6) | 23,608 (24.3) | 22,782 (25) | 18,370 (20.3) | 10,234 (12.8) | |
| Longer education (including university degree) | 109,362 (24.2) | 15,694 (16.8) | 19,057 (19.6) | 24,660 (27.1) | 24,804 (27.4) | 25,147 (31.5) | |
| Missing | 16,883 (3.7) | 1,191 (1.3) | 981 (1) | 2,924 (3.2) | 3,526 (3.9) | 8,261 (10.4) | |
| Smoking status | 451,390 | ||||||
| Never | 219,854 (48.7) | 44,424 (47.7) | 47,361 (48.8) | 45,196 (49.7) | 43,014 (47.6) | 39,859 (49.9) | |
| Current | 100,053 (22.2) | 24,033 (25.8) | 24,392 (25.1) | 20,008 (22.0) | 19,309 (21.4) | 12,311 (15.4) | |
| Former | 123,034 (27.3) | 21,813 (23.4) | 23,785 (24.5) | 24,693 (27.1) | 26,848 (29.7) | 25,895 (32.4) | |
| Unknown | 8,449 (1.9) | 2,909 (3.1) | 1,456 (1.5) | 1,086 (1.2) | 1,253 (1.4) | 1,745 (2.2) | |
| Physical activity (Cambridge index) | 451,390 | ||||||
| Inactive | 88,276 (19.6) | 22,188 (23.8) | 20,635 (21.3) | 14,439 (15.9) | 13,570 (15) | 17,444 (21.9) | |
| Moderately inactive | 150,393 (33.3) | 29,545 (31.7) | 31,027 (32) | 30,253 (33.3) | 31,377 (34.7) | 28,191 (35.3) | |
| Moderately active | 120,554 (26.7) | 28,694 (30.8) | 25,870 (26.7) | 22,950 (25.2) | 23,741 (26.3) | 19,299 (24.2) | |
| Active | 83,346 (18.5) | 10,956 (11.8) | 17,212 (17.7) | 20,847 (22.9) | 20,828 (23) | 13,503 (16.9) | |
| Missing | 8,821 (2) | 1,796 (1.9) | 2,250 (2.3) | 2,494 (2.7) | 908 (1) | 1,373 (1.7) | |
| BMI b , kg/m 2 | 451,390 | 25.3 ± 4.2 | 25.8 ± 4.5 | 25.3 ± 4.2 | 24·7 ± 4 | 25.2 ± 4.1 | 25.4 ± 4.1 |
| Height b , cm | 451,390 | 166 ± 9 | 164 ± 8 | 166 ± 9 | 167 ± 9 | 167 ± 9 | 167 ± 9 |
| Weight b , kg | 451,390 | 70.0 ± 13.6 | 69.6 ± 13.1 | 69.9 ± 13.6 | 68.8 ± 13·6 | 70.4 ± 14.0 | 71.3 ± 13.8 |
| Family history of breast cancer, yes c | 144,611 | 12,451 (8.6) | 4,036 (7.4) | 3,430 (10.3) | 2,457 (10.2) | 1,564 (8.6) | 964 (6.8) |
| Family history of colorectal cancer, yes c | 115,617 | 9,785 (8.5) | 3,324 (7.6) | 2,021 (104) | 1,303 (10.2) | 1,493 (9) | 1,644 (7.2) |
| Dietary intake a | 451,390 | ||||||
| Energy intake, kcal/day | 1,999 (1,352 to 2,904) | 1,833 (1,232 to 2,756) | 1,962 (1,324 to 2,861) | 2,033 (1,402 to 2,909) | 2,124 (1,461 to 3,023) | 2,043 (1,409 to 2,944) | |
| Potatoes and other tuber intake, g/day | 78 (20 to 184) | 72 (21 to 182) | 86 (17 to 213) | 71 (16 to 182) | 80 (21 to 180) | 81 (29 to 151) | |
| Vegetables intake, g/day | 167 (68 to 364) | 163 (61 to 379) | 144 (46 to 329) | 170 (74 to 370) | 182 (84 to 364) | 180 (84 to 371) | |
| Legume intake, g/day | 5 (0 to 42) | 0 (0 to 66) | 2 (0 to 40) | 6.5 (0 to 42) | 3 (0 to 31) | 7 (1 to 35) | |
| Fruit intake, g/day | 193 (54 to 449) | 184 (36 to 454) | 194 (49 to 449) | 209 (59 to 469) | 197 (63 to 446) | 181 (64 to 423) | |
| Dairy product intake, g/day | 285 (80 to 634) | 256 (75 to 566) | 286 (83 to 662) | 281 (65 to 658) | 284 (83 to 648) | 322 (103 to 629) | |
| Cereal intake, g/day | 200 (102 to 359) | 185 (90 to 319) | 197 (100 to 359) | 215 (114 to 387) | 212 (112 to 375) | 193 (97 to 351) | |
| Meat intake, g/day | 93 (26 to 177) | 87 (33 to 174) | 92 (40 to 173) | 92 (2 to 175) | 105 (28 to 189) | 91 (32 to 170) | |
| Red and processed meat intake, g/day | 69 (15 to 142) | 62 (20 to 132) | 67 (25 to 139) | 69 (2 to 144) | 80 (17 to 152) | 66 (18 to 138) | |
| Fish and shellfish intake, g/day | 29 (4 to 82) | 47 (11 to 113) | 23 (3 to 89) | 17 (0 to 54) | 32 (9 to 72) | 28 (8 to 69) | |
| Egg intake, g/day | 14 (2 to 39) | 16 (2 to 44) | 12 (1 to 36) | 14 (2 to 37) | 16 (4 to 42) | 10 (3 to 29) | |
| Fat intake, g/day | 24 (9 to 48) | 23 (8 to 48) | 27 (10 to 53) | 23 (8 to 47) | 23 (8 to 45) | 24 (9 to 48) | |
| Sugar and confectionery intake, g/day | 32 (7 to 86) | 23 (2 to 68) | 29 (6 to 80) | 35 (9 to 92) | 39 (11 to 103) | 35 (10 to 89) | |
| Cakes and biscuits intake, g/day | 31 (4 to 92) | 26 (0 to 80) | 31 (3 to 84) | 27 (5 to 80) | 28 (6 to 89) | 45 (12 to 126) | |
| Nonalcoholic beverage intake, g/day | 1,046 (160 to 2,098) | 556 (68 to 1,746) | 833 (130 to 1,950) | 1,153 (176 to 2,189) | 1,326 (274 to 2,412) | 1,192 (579 to 1,963) | |
| Alcoholic beverage intake, g/day | 75 (0 to 444) | 43 (0 to 375) | 56 (0 to 385) | 83 (3 to 456) | 119 (7 to 528) | 94 (5 to 485) | |
| Condiment and sauce intake, g/day | 16 (3 to 46) | 11 (1 to 41) | 10 (1 to 37) | 18 (4 to 48) | 18 (6 to 44) | 24 (8 to 56) | |
| Soups and bouillon intake, g/day | 22 (0 to 144) | 7 (0 to 164) | 17 (0 to 143) | 27 (0 to 168) | 19 (0 to 149) | 28 (4 to 108) | |
| Miscellaneous food intake, g/day | 0 (0 to 14) | 0 (0 to 7) | 0 (0 to 7) | 0 (0 to 38) | 0 (0 to 11) | 2 (0 to 15) | |
| Fiber intake, g/day | 22 (14 to 33) | 20 (13 to 31) | 21 (13 to 32) | 23 (15 to 34) | 23 (15 to 34) | 22 (14 to 33) | |
| Mediterranean diet score, 0 to 18 points a | 451,390 | 8 (4 to 12) | 9 (5 to 13) | 7 (4 to 12) | 8 (4 to 13) | 9 (5 to 12) | 9 (5 to 12) |
| Alcohol intake, categorical | 451,390 | ||||||
| Nondrinker | 57,565 (12.8) | 27,062 (29.0) | 16,079 (16.6) | 6,283 (6.9) | 3,777 (4.2) | 4,364 (5.5) | |
| >0 to 6 g/dayd | 134,672 (29.8) | 24,830 (26.6) | 35,077 (36.2) | 29,092 (32.0) | 22,193 (24.5) | 23,480 (29.4) | |
| >6 to 12 g/daye | 118,869 (26.3) | 20,582 (22.1) | 22,684 (23.4) | 24,094 (26.5) | 26,268 (29.0) | 25,241 (31.6) | |
| >12 to 24 g/day | 70,605 (15.6) | 9,983 (10.7) | 11,582 (11.9) | 15,617 (17.2) | 18,802 (20.8) | 14,621 (18.3) | |
| >24 g/day | 69,679 (15.4) | 10,722 (11.5) | 11,572 (11.9) | 15,897 (17.5) | 19,384 (21.4) | 12,104 (15.2) | |
| Age at menarche, years f | 308,875 | 13 ± 2 | 13 ± 2 | 13 ± 2 | 13 ± 2 | 13 ± 2 | 13 ± 2 |
| Age at menarche, categorical | 319,608 | ||||||
| ≤12 | 112,773 (35.3) | 24,712 (34) | 22,956 (32.8) | 24,193 (37.3) | 21,682 (35.3) | 19,230 (38) | |
| 13 to 14 | 147,378 (46.1) | 35,312 (48.6) | 30,411 (43.5) | 29,788 (45.9) | 28,802 (46.8) | 23,065 (45.6) | |
| ≥15 | 48,724 (15.2) | 11,819 (16.3) | 10,540 (15.1) | 9,468 (14.6) | 9,959 (16.2) | 6,938 (13.7) | |
| Missing | 10,733 (3.4) | 848 (1.2) | 5,987 (8.6) | 1,492 (2.3) | 1,045 (1.7) | 1,361 (2.7) | |
| Age at first full-term pregnancy, years f | 257,794 | 25 ± 4 | 25 ± 4 | 25 ± 4 | 25 ± 4 | 25 ± 4 | 25 ± 5 |
| Age at first full-term pregnancy, categorical f | 305,652 | ||||||
| Nulliparous | 46,945 (15.4) | 7,464 (10.7) | 7,575 (12) | 13,923 (22.2) | 9,212 (15.3) | 8,771 (17.8) | |
| ≤21 | 57,190 (18.7) | 15,898 (22.7) | 11,969 (18.9) | 9,438 (15) | 11,405 (18.9) | 8,480 (17.2) | |
| 22 to 30 | 174,342 (57) | 41,164 (58.8) | 38,160 (60.3) | 33,742 (53.8) | 34,278 (56.9) | 26,998 (54.7) | |
| >30 | 26,262 (8.6) | 5,441 (7.8) | 5,300 (8.4) | 5,477 (8.7) | 5,102 (8.5) | 4,942 (10) | |
| Missing | 913 (0.3) | 98 (0.1) | 268 (0.4) | 194 (0.3) | 231 (0.4) | 122 (0.2) | |
| Menopausal status f | 319,608 | ||||||
| Premenopause | 111,058 (34.7) | 22,961 (31.6) | 21,198 (30.3) | 25,462 (39.2) | 19,838 (32.3) | 21,599 (42.7) | |
| Perimenopause | 63,049 (19.7) | 18,185 (25) | 15,546 (22.2) | 11,050 (17) | 10,994 (17.9) | 7,274 (14.4) | |
| Postmenopause | 136,658 (42.8) | 29,836 (41) | 31,310 (44.8) | 26,647 (41) | 28,696 (46.7) | 20,169 (39·9) | |
| Surgical postmenopause | 8,843 (2.8) | 1,709 (2.4) | 1,840 (2.6) | 1,782 (2.7) | 1,960 (3.2) | 1,552 (3.1) | |
| Ever use of oral contraception, yes f | 311,179 | 190,107 (61.1) | 38,810 (53.6) | 34,944 (54.4) | 41,057 (64.3) | 40,102 (65.8) | 35,194 (70.9) |
| Ever use of hormonal treatment for menopause (yes) f | 297,860 | 80,471 (27) | 17,781 (26.1) | 15,272 (24.1) | 14,901 (23.6) | 18,733 (32.1) | 13,784 (30.8) |
| Deaths | 451,390 | 46,627 (10.3) | 10,313 (11.1) | 10,712 (11) | 8,068 (8.9) | 8,842 (9.8) | 8,692 (10.9) |
| Age at death, years | 46,627 | 71 (10) | 71 (10) | 70 (9) | 70 (10) | 71 (10) | 74 (11) |
aValues are median (P10–P90) for all dietary variables.
bMissing BMI for 3,710 (0.8%) and missing measured or self-reported height for 1,856 (0·4%) and weight for 3,361 (0·7%). When missing, height and weight were imputed with center-, age-, and gender-specific average values.
cAmong first degree relatives.
dAmong women, this category is >0 to 3 g/day.
eAmong women, this category is >3 to 12 g/day.
fAmong women only.
BMI, body mass index; DSR, dietary species richness; EPIC, European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition; Q, quintile.