Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study sample.
| Men | Women | p-value | < 46 years | ≥ 46 years | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects (n) | 95 | 219 | 149 | 165 | ||
| Age (years) | 45.9 ± 9.7 | 45.5 ± 10.9 | 0.744 | 36.8 ± 6.7 | 53.6 ± 6.1 | < 0.001 |
| Sex (%) | 0.472 | |||||
| Men | 100 | – | 32.2 | 28.5 | ||
| Women | – | 100 | 67.8 | 71.5 | ||
| Weight (kg) | 93.2 ± 14.6 | 78.7 ± 14.5 | < 0.001 | 88.7 ± 13.1 | 86.8 ± 12.8 | 0.219 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 30.3 ± 4.5 | 29.8 ± 5.1 | 0.747 | 31.1 ± 3.2 | 32.1 ± 3.6 | 0.018 |
| VAI (AU)§ | 99.7 ± 69.2 | 90.4 ± 61.6 | 0.242 | 83.4 ± 55.2 | 102.0 ± 70.0 | 0.011 |
| WC standing (cm) | 104.0 ± 13.0 | 94.6 ± 14.1 | < 0.001 | 99.9 ± 10.3 | 104.2 ± 10.4 | < 0.001 |
| WC lie down (cm) | 104.3 ± 9.1 | 94.7 ± 8.1 | < 0.001 | 95.4 ± 9.2 | 99.1 ± 9.4 | 0.034 |
| Waist-to-hip ratio (cm) | 97.9 ± 8.4 | 86.1 ± 8.5 | < 0.001 | 89.1 ± 8.8 | 94.1 ± 9.2 | < 0.001 |
| Waist-to-height ratio (cm) | 59.4 ± 7.6 | 58.3 ± 8.8 | 0.251 | 59.3 ± 5.5 | 63.5 ± 6.2 | < 0.001 |
| Bioimpedance fat mass (kg) | 28.8 ± 6.7 | 34.9 ± 7.7 | < 0.001 | 32.6 ± 8.6 | 33.5 ± 7.3 | 0.302 |
| Glucose (md/dl) | 100.4 ± 12.4 | 94.9 ± 14.5 | 0.002 | 92.6 ± 7.8 | 100.1 ± 17.2 | < 0.001 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 219.3 ± 39.0 | 214.6 ± 38.0 | 0.321 | 205.3 ± 36.3 | 225.6 ± 37.5 | < 0.001 |
| HDL cholesterol (mg/dl) | 46.9 ± 8.4 | 59.0 ± 12.8 | < 0.001 | 53.8 ± 12.7 | 56.6 ± 13.0 | 0.051 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 125.7 ± 73.4 | 93.9 ± 43.9 | < 0.001 | 92.4 ± 46.1 | 113.6 ± 62.6 | 0.001 |
| TyG (mg/dl) | 8.6 ± 0.5 | 8.3 ± 0.5 | < 0.001 | 8.3 ± 0.5 | 8.5 ± 0.5 | < 0.001 |
| WC*TyG (cm*mg/dl) | 934.7 ± 106.4 | 828.7 ± 112.9 | < 0.001 | 826.5 ± 108.5 | 891.6 ± 123.7 | < 0.001 |
| WC*TG (cm*mg/dl) | 155.1 ± 93.2 | 107.1 ± 55.4 | < 0.001 | 105.6 ± 57.1 | 136.1 ± 81.2 | < 0.001 |
| Hypertension (%) | 73.5 | 43.1 | < 0.001 | 46.3 | 71.5 | < 0.001 |
| SBP (mm Hg) | 134.3 ± 17.0 | 120.9 ± 16.2 | < 0.001 | 123.4 ± 15.8 | 132.0 ± 17.2 | < 0.001 |
| DBP (mm Hg) | 81.9 ± 11.6 | 76.0 ± 10.0 | < 0.001 | 76.6 ± 10.7 | 82.0 ± 9.8 | < 0.001 |
| HOMA-IR | 1.77;1.09–2.76 | 1.48;1.02–2.30 | 0.153 | 1.50;098–2.05 | 1.68;1.06–2.60 | 0.050 |
| CRP | 1.39;.822-.46 | 1.71;1.07–4.59 | 0.568 | 1.53;1.02–3.72 | 1.61;1.09–3.27 | 0.698 |
| Family history of obesity (%) | 40.5 | 49.2 | 0.249 | 54.4 | 46.3 | 0.154 |
| Diabetes (%) | 4.3 | 1.4 | 0.119 | 0 | 4.4 | 0.011 |
| Prediabetes (%) | 31.5 | 19.9 | 0.028 | 14.0 | 31.9 | < 0.001 |
| High blood glucose (%) | 35.9 | 21.3 | 0.008 | 14.0 | 36.3 | < 0.001 |
| Hypercholesterolemia (%) | 70.7 | 64.0 | 0.260 | 55.2 | 75.6 | < 0.001 |
| Dyslipidemia (%) | 30.0 | 22.0 | 0.106 | 30.1 | 29.4 | 0.895 |
| Metabolic Syndrome (%) | 34.5 | 18.4 | 0.001 | 20.1 | 35.2 | 0.003 |
| Adherence to a MedDiet (points)‡ | 4.3 ± 1.7 | 4.2 ± 1.6 | 0.435 | 3.9 ± 1.5 | 4.4 ± 1.6 | 0.003 |
| Physical activity (METs/week) | 31.2 ± 24.2 | 20.5 ± 16.8 | < 0.001 | 25.5 ± 22.3 | 22.3 ± 17.5 | 0.164 |
| Energy intake (kJ/d) | 13,554 ± 4081 | 12,030 ± 3800 | 0.002 | 12,411 ± 3968 | 12,562 ± 3934 | 0.736 |
Variables are shown as mean ± SD, as percentage or as median and interquartile range according to their distribution.
§AU: Arbitrary Units.
BMI: body mass index; VAI: Visceral Adiposity Index; WC: waist circumference; TG: triglycerides; SBP: Systolic Blood Pressure; DBP: Diastolic Blood Pressure; CRP: C-reactive protein; MedDiet: Mediterranean diet.
‡ Adherence to the Mediterranean diet measured with the Mediterranean Diet Score (35).