Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Health factors and longevity in men and women: a 26-year follow-up study

  • Mortality
  • Published:
European Journal of Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Health factors have the power to prevent and postpone diseases and death; however, studies using the same methodology in both men and women are sparse. We aimed to study the ability of health factors to prevent mortality in a population-based, 26-year follow-up of Swedish men and women. During 1969–70, a health-screening programme was offered to a stratified sample of 3,064 individuals aged 18–64 years to estimate health-care needs. Missing data (largely according to protocol) for physical fitness, BMI, and smoking habits left 935 subjects, 463 men and 472 women. Alcohol consumption in grams per week and BMI was calculated. Tobacco smoking was recorded as yes/no. Multivariate analysis was performed by Cox regression with age adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Moderate alcohol consumption did not lead to any decrease in mortality. Having two health factors halved the mortality risk in men and women (hazard ratio (HR) 0.52, confidence interval (CI) 0.39–0.70). A further risk reduction was seen in men with three health factors (HR 0.17, CI 0.074–0.41). Men had about 70 per cent higher risk of mortality compared with women after adjustments for all health factors (HR 1.67, CI 1.26–2.23). Men compared to women had greater benefit of all three health factors. This in combination with the overall higher mortality risk in men makes a healthy lifestyle more important for them. The benefit of moderate alcohol consumption could not be detected in this study, and may be explained by an unhealthy drinking pattern in Sweden.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

HR:

Hazard ratio

CI:

Confidence interval

BMI:

Body mass index

References

  1. Jiao L, Mitrou PN, Reedy J, et al. A combined healthy lifestyle score and risk of pancreatic cancer in a large cohort study. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169:764–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Perry IJ. Healthy diet and lifestyle clustering and glucose intolerance. Proc Nutr Soc. 2002;61:543–51.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Yusuf S, Hawken S, Ounpuu S, et al. Effect of potentially modifiable risk factors associated with myocardial infarction in 52 countries (the INTERHEART study): case-control study. Lancet. 2004;364:937–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Akesson A, Weismayer C, Newby PK, Wolk A. Combined effect of low-risk dietary and lifestyle behaviors in primary prevention of myocardial infarction in women. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167:2122–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Djousse L, Driver JA, Gaziano JM. Relation between modifiable lifestyle factors and lifetime risk of heart failure. JAMA. 2009;302:394–400.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Forman JP, Stampfer MJ, Curhan GC. Diet and lifestyle risk factors associated with incident hypertension in women. JAMA. 2009;302:401–11.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Britton A, Marmot MG, Shipley M. Who benefits most from the cardioprotective properties of alcohol consumption—health freaks or couch potatoes? J Epidemiol Community Health. 2008;62:905–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Mukamal KJ, Chiuve SE, Rimm EB. Alcohol consumption and risk for coronary heart disease in men with healthy lifestyles. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:2145–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Carlsson AC, Theobald H, Hellenius ML, Wandell PE. Cardiovascular and total mortality in men and women with different blood pressure levels—A 26-year follow-up. Blood Press. 2009;18(3):105–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Wandell PE, Carlsson AC, Theobald H. The association between BMI value and long-term mortality. Int J Obes (Lond). 2009;33:577–82.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Wandell PE, Carlsson AC, Theobald H. Effect of heart-rate recovery on long-term mortality among men and women. Int J Cardiol. 2009. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2009.01.053.

  12. Theobald H, Bygren LO, Carstensen J, Engfeldt P. Validity of two questions on alcohol use in a health survey questionnaire. Scand J Public Health. 1999;27:73–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Greenfield JR, Samaras K, Jenkins AB, Kelly PJ, Spector TD, Campbell LV. Moderate alcohol consumption, estrogen replacement therapy, and physical activity are associated with increased insulin sensitivity: is abdominal adiposity the mediator? Diabetes Care. 2003;26:2734–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Wandell PE, de Faire U, Hellenius ML. High intake of alcohol is associated with newly diagnosed diabetes in 60 years old men and women. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2007;17:598–608.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Theobald H, Wandell PE. Effect of heart rate on long-term mortality among men and women. Acta Cardiol. 2007;62:275–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Li C, Engstrom G, Hedblad B, Janzon L. Sex-specific cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in a cohort treated for hypertension. J Hypertens. 2006;24:1523–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Burger M, Mensink G, Bronstrup A, Thierfelder W, Pietrzik K. Alcohol consumption and its relation to cardiovascular risk factors in Germany. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004;58:605–14.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Caimi G, Carollo C, Lo Presti R. Wine and endothelial function. Drugs Exp Clin Res. 2003;29:235–42.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. de Lange DW, van de Wiel A. Drink to prevent: review on the cardioprotective mechanisms of alcohol and red wine polyphenols. Semin Vasc Med. 2004;4:173–86.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Messner T, Petersson B. Alcohol consumption and ischemic heart disease mortality in Sweden. Scand J Soc Med. 1996;24:107–13.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Carlsson AC, Wandell PE, de Faire U, Hellenius ML. Prevalence of hypertension in immigrants and Swedish-born individuals, a cross-sectional study of 60-year-old men and women in Sweden. J Hypertens. 2008;26:2295–302.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Carlsson AC, Wandell PE, de Faire U, Hellenius ML. Risk factors associated with newly diagnosed high blood pressure in men and women. Am J Hypertens. 2008;21:771–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Parekh RS, Klag MJ. Alcohol: role in the development of hypertension and end-stage renal disease. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens. 2001;10:385–90.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Stranges S, Wu T, Dorn JM, et al. Relationship of alcohol drinking pattern to risk of hypertension: a population-based study. Hypertension. 2004;44:813–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Bagnardi V, Zatonski W, Scotti L, La Vecchia C, Corrao G. Does drinking pattern modify the effect of alcohol on the risk of coronary heart disease? Evidence from a meta-analysis. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2008;62:615–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Clarke R, Emberson J, Fletcher A, Breeze E, Marmot M, Shipley MJ. Life expectancy in relation to cardiovascular risk factors: 38 year follow-up of 19,000 men in the Whitehall study. BMJ. 2009;339:b3513.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Theobald H, Bygren LO, Carstensen J, Hauffman M, Engfeldt P. Effects of an assessment of needs for medical and social services on long-term mortality: a randomized controlled study. Int J Epidemiol. 1998;27:194–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The study was supported by the Stockholm County Council.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Family and Community Medicine, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 12, 14183, Huddinge, Sweden

    Axel C. Carlsson, Holger Theobald & Per E. Wändell

Authors
  1. Axel C. Carlsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Holger Theobald
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Per E. Wändell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Axel C. Carlsson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Carlsson, A.C., Theobald, H. & Wändell, P.E. Health factors and longevity in men and women: a 26-year follow-up study. Eur J Epidemiol 25, 547–551 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-010-9472-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-010-9472-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation