[Is a healthy lifestyle worthwhile?].
BACKGROUND
The men invited to participate in the Oslo Study in 1972/3 were invited again to participate in the Oslo II study in 2000. We examined whether self-reported lifestyle habits were associated with biological markers, a range of symptoms and several illnesses in 2000.


METHODS
In addition to data from Oslo II, were data from those men of the Oslo-cohort who participated in 5 other studies between 1998 and 2001. The total material is named The second screening of the Oslo-study. Levels of lipids and glucose, height, weight, waist and hip circumferences and blood pressure were measured in 6,410 men born in 1923-32 that participated in both surveys. Participants were divided into four groups according to their lifestyle habits in both surveys, as follows: unhealthy, somewhat unhealthy, somewhat healthy and healthy lifestyle.


RESULTS
Participants with a healthy lifestyle had a lower number of symptoms and illnesses, prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and waist-hip ratio, compared to those with a less healthy lifestyle. The number of men with psychological distress leading to treatment, was inversely associated with an increasingly healthy lifestyle. After adjustment for level of education and smoking in both 1972/3 and in 2000, the relationship between health profile and lifestyle became more linear.


CONCLUSIONS
A healthy lifestyle was associated with protective levels of risk factors and lower prevalences of a wide range of illnesses.
Holme
Ingar
I
Avdeling for epidemiologi og helseovervåking, Klinikk for forebyggende medisin, Ullevål universitetssykehus, 0407 Oslo. ingar.holme@uus.no
Søgaard
Anne Johanne
AJ
Lund-Larsen
Per G
PG
Tonstad
Serena
S
Håheim
Lise Lund
LL
D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio
D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids