Comparison of cardiovascular risk factors in young Spanish men between the 1980s and after the year 2000. Data from the AGEMZA study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the cardiovascular risk profile of a sample of young Spanish men taken in the 1980s, the initial AGEMZA study cohort, and to compare the findings with those in another sample with similar characteristics taken after 2000.


METHODS
The two AGEMZA study cohorts comprised young men who were resident at the Zaragoza General Military Academy, where they were studying as aspiring cadets. A descriptive study of each cohort was carried out and the participants' anthropometric characteristics, sporting and dietary habits, exposure to toxins, and biochemical and lipid profiles were analyzed. Data on the prevalence of various risk factors were obtained for each cohort and the coronary disease risk was estimated using the Framingham equation.


RESULTS
Comparison of data on 248 subjects from the current cohort with data on 260 from the initial cohort showed the following significant changes: weight (+6.03 kg), body mass index (BMI) (+1.57), cholesterol (+12.46 mg/dL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (+15.8 mg/dL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-4.11 mg/dL), triglycerides (+3.64 mg/dL), apolipoprotein B (+24.8 mg/dL), estimated coronary disease risk in the next 10 years (+1/1000 individuals) and estimated coronary disease risk up to the age of 65 years (+23/1000 individuals). There were significant correlations between increases in weight and BMI and lipid profile alterations.


CONCLUSIONS
The lipid profile and BMI were worse in the current sample. These findings make it essential that preventive measures for young people should be introduced and that an increased effort should be made to develop programs aimed at either stopping the progressive rise in obesity or even preventing it altogether.
Portero
M Pilar
MP
Unidad de Investigación Cardiovascular, Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de Salud, Zaragoza, Spain.
León
Montserrat
M
Andrés
Eva M
EM
Laclaustra
Martín
M
Pascual
Isaac
I
Bes
María
M
Luengo
Emilio
E
del Río
Alfonso
A
Giner
Armando
A
González
Pilar
P
Casasnovas
José A
JA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult