Baseline characteristics of the subjects by BMI category
| BMI (kg/m2) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | <18 | 18–20 | 20–22 | 22–24 | 24–26 | 26–28 | ≥28 |
| Table shows number and percentage of subjects within each BMI category except where indicated. p Values for tests of association/heterogeneity between BMI categories are <0.001 for all the factors except family history of disease (p=0.227). *Heavy smokers smoked 15 or more cigarettes per day, light smokers were all other current smokers, including pipe/cigar smokers. †Previous or current diabetes, hypertension, angina, heart disease, or stroke. ‡Vegetarians did not eat meat or fish; vegans did not eat meat, fish, dairy produce, or eggs. §Sex specific categories. ¶Sport/keep fit and/or running/cycling at least twice a week. **Heart attack or stroke before age 50, high blood pressure or diabetes in a first degree blood relative. ††Adjusted for age and sex and based on data for about 3700 subjects. | |||||||
| Number (% of total) | 372 (3.4) | 2013 (18.5) | 3482 (32.1) | 2774 (25.5) | 1350 (12.4) | 530 (4.9) | 337 (3.1) |
| Female | 78.0 | 74.5 | 66.1 | 54.6 | 50.1 | 48.5 | 57.9 |
| Median age at recruitment | 32 | 30 | 31 | 34 | 41 | 47 | 47 |
| Smoking | |||||||
| never smoker | 61.3 | 57.2 | 56.7 | 52.3 | 47.7 | 44.5 | 44.2 |
| former smoker | 19.9 | 22.6 | 23.8 | 28.6 | 33.9 | 34.7 | 35.3 |
| light smoker* | 11.6 | 13.4 | 11.9 | 11.6 | 10.8 | 11.1 | 13.1 |
| heavy smoker* | 7.3 | 6.8 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 9.6 | 7.4 |
| Social class | |||||||
| I–II | 38.4 | 46.0 | 49.6 | 49.9 | 49.0 | 44.7 | 44.5 |
| III–V | 23.1 | 27.9 | 29.4 | 28.6 | 28.3 | 29.1 | 30.6 |
| unclassified | 38.4 | 26.1 | 21.0 | 21.6 | 22.7 | 26.2 | 24.9 |
| Pre-existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes† | 6.7 | 5.9 | 5.4 | 7.6 | 10.7 | 14.7 | 19.0 |
| Vegetarian‡ | 63.4 | 53.8 | 43.6 | 39.3 | 31.7 | 26.6 | 27.0 |
| for more than 5 years | 40.1 | 36.5 | 27.9 | 26.7 | 23.9 | 19.6 | 18.7 |
| member of vegetarian groups | 37.4 | 27.5 | 21.9 | 21.5 | 18.3 | 15.5 | 14.8 |
| vegan‡ | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Estimated animal fat intake§ | |||||||
| bottom third | 40.3 | 37.0 | 34.8 | 33.7 | 26.5 | 23.9 | 25.5 |
| middle third | 32.2 | 32.7 | 32.6 | 32.5 | 35.2 | 38.6 | 39.8 |
| top third | 27.5 | 30.3 | 32.6 | 33.9 | 38.3 | 37.5 | 34.7 |
| Estimated dietary fibre intake§ | |||||||
| bottom third | 24.5 | 27.1 | 32.0 | 34.6 | 40.0 | 42.9 | 48.7 |
| middle third | 33.3 | 33.2 | 32.3 | 34.2 | 34.9 | 32.7 | 35.4 |
| top third | 42.1 | 39.7 | 35.7 | 31.2 | 25.1 | 25.4 | 15.9 |
| Estimated alcohol intake | |||||||
| <1 unit per week | 44.1 | 33.0 | 27.1 | 26.1 | 26.6 | 25.0 | 34.4 |
| 1–7 units per week | 35.1 | 41.3 | 40.3 | 38.5 | 36.3 | 33.4 | 40.7 |
| >7 units per week | 20.7 | 25.6 | 32.6 | 35.3 | 37.1 | 41.6 | 24.9 |
| “High” level of exercise¶ | 26.2 | 31.0 | 33.2 | 33.3 | 27.4 | 22.5 | 17.4 |
| Family history of disease** | 26.8 | 27.4 | 29.5 | 29.9 | 29.0 | 30.2 | 33.0 |
| Cholesterol measurements available | 28.8 | 34.4 | 35.8 | 34.0 | 35.0 | 29.6 | 33.8 |
| Mean total cholesterol (mmol/l)†† | 5.40 | 5.40 | 5.55 | 5.72 | 5.78 | 5.92 | 6.07 |
| Mean LDL-cholesterol (mmol/l)†† | 3.23 | 3.22 | 3.35 | 3.50 | 3.55 | 3.65 | 3.82 |
| Mean HDL-cholesterol (mmol/l)†† | 1.71 | 1.67 | 1.65 | 1.63 | 1.57 | 1.51 | 1.48 |
| Mean LDL- to HDL-C ratio†† | 2.03 | 2.06 | 2.14 | 2.26 | 2.38 | 2.60 | 2.91 |