TABLE 1.
Characteristics of the participants (N = 3,793).
| Characters | Mean ± SD/N (%) |
| Age, years | 60.2 ± 11.3 |
| Sex, % | |
| Male | 1,909 (46.9) |
| Female | 1,884 (53.1) |
| Race, % | |
| Non-Hispanic white | 2,125 (79.1) |
| Non-Hispanic black | 588 (7.5) |
| Mexican American | 806 (3.9) |
| Other Hispanic | 184 (6.0) |
| Other race | 90 (3.5) |
| Education, % | |
| Below high school | 1,441 (23.9) |
| High school | 844 (25.7) |
| Above high school | 1,504 (50.4) |
| Cigarette smoking, % | |
| No | 1,745 (45.3) |
| Yes | 2,042 (54.7) |
| Alcohol drinking, % | |
| <12 times/year | 1,302 (32.6) |
| ≥12 times/year | 2,383 (67.4) |
| Hypertension, % | |
| No | 1,379 (41.4) |
| Yes | 2,340 (58.6) |
| Household income, % | |
| <$20,000 | 982 (21.5) |
| ≥$20,000 | 2,364 (78.5) |
| Diabetes, % | |
| No | 556 (11.0) |
| Yes | 3,160 (89.0) |
| BMI, % | |
| <30 kg/m2 | 2,419 (66.3) |
| ≥30 kg/m2 | 1,229 (33.7) |
| Overall energy intake, % | |
| <1,726 kcal | 1,896 (44.8) |
| ≥1,726 kcal | 1,897 (55.2) |
| Zinc intake, mg | 9.6 ± 4.7 |
| Telomere length, T/S ratio | 0.926 ± 0.205 |
| Telomere length, bp | 5509.5 ± 494.9 |
SD, standard deviation; BMI, body mass index.