The relation between "long-term exposure" to lifestyle during youth and young adulthood and risk factors for cardiovascular disease at adult age.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between lifestyle (dietary intake of macronutrients, smoking behavior, alcohol consumption and daily physical activity) from 13-29 years of age ("long-term exposure") and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (lipoprotein levels, blood pressure, body fatness, and body composition) at the age of 29 years.


METHODS
The study was part of the Amsterdam Growth and Health Study, which began in 1977, and in which repeated measurements were carried out over a period of 17 years on 181 subjects (98 females and 83 males).


RESULTS
"Long-term exposure" to smoking behavior was inversely related to high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) levels (p = 0.02) and positively to the total cholesterol/HDL ratio (p = 0.05). Both smoking behavior and alcohol consumption were inversely related to blood pressure (p < 0.01). "Long-term exposure" to daily physical activity was inversely related to body fatness (p < 0.01), but for females positively to the waist/hip ratio (p < 0.01). No relationship was found between the dietary intake of macronutrients and the CVD risk factors. When "long-term exposure" was limited to adolescence (13-16 years of age) only the relationship between daily physical activity and the waist/hip ratio for females remained significant (p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
"Long-term" smoking behavior was related to a high risk profile regarding hypercholesterolemia, but to a low risk profile regarding blood pressure. The latter was also found for "long-term" alcohol consumption. "Long-term" daily physical activity was related to a low risk profile regarding body fatness; but for females, surprisingly, to a high risk profile regarding body fat distribution.
Twisk
J W
JW
Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Van Mechelen
W
W
Kemper
H C
HC
Post
G B
GB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001823:Body Composition; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016014:Linear Models; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D013997:Time Factors
D008055:Lipids