CARDIOVASCULAR RISK PROFILE IN 38-YEAR AND 18-YEAR-OLD MEN - CONTRIBUTION OF BODY-FAT CONTENT AND REGIONAL FAT DISTRIBUTION

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether young and middle-age men differ in bloo d pressure and serum lipid profiles and, if so, to what extent these d ifferences are dependent on total body fat, regional fat distribution, plasma insulin and behavioural variables. SUBJECTS: Random samples of 94 young (18 year-old) and 94 middle-age (38 year-old) healthy men ma tched for body mass index (BMI). MEASUREMENTS: BMI, total body fat (by bioelectrical impedance), regional fat distribution (by anthropometry ), serum lipids, blood pressure, fasting insulin and some behavioural variables. RESULTS: Total body fat was similar in the two groups (mean +/- s.e.: 16.5 +/- 0.5 vs 16.0 +/- 0.6 kg and 20.8 +/- 0.5 vs 20 +/- 0.5%), while waist/hip circumference ratio (WHR) was significantly hig her in middle-age as compared to young men (0.96 +/- 0.001 vs 0.92 +/- 0.003, P < 0.0001). The former also had significantly higher serum co ncentrations of total cholesterol (6.21 +/- 0.13 vs 4.10 +/- 0.10 mmol /l: P < 0.0001). LDL-cholesterol (4.24 +/- 0.11 vs 2.34 +/- 0.10 mmol/ l; P < 0.0001), triglycerides (1.40 +/- 0.09 vs 1.02 +/- 0.06 mmol/l; P < 0.01) as well as higher systolic (134.0 +/- 1.6 vs 126.3 +/- 1.4 m mHg; P < 0.0001) and diastolic (86.8 +/- 0.9 vs 82.0 +/- 1.1 mmHg; P < 0.001) blood pressure values. HDL-cholesterol and fasting insulin con centrations were similar in the two groups (1.33 +/- 0.03 vs 1.28 +/- 0.03 mmol/l and 13.7 +/- 0.6 vs 14.7 +/- 0.7 mU/l. respectively). Sign ificant differences in the two groups also were found in daily alcohol consumption (49.6 +/- 5.7 vs 20.0 +/- 3.4 g/day: P < 0.0001), whereas no significant differences were found in smoking and physical activit y level. The comparison of subgroups (n = 41) of young and middle-age men matched for both BMI and WHR showed virtually unchanged difference s in serum lipids and blood pressure. When age, BMI, WHR, fasting insu lin and behavoural variables were included as independent variables in a multiple linear regression analysis in which subjects of the two gr oups were pooled, age was a significant predictor of total and LDL cho lesterol, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure, insulin predicted HDL cholesterol and systolic blood pressure. BMI predicted triglyceri des and diastolic blood pressure and WHR was not an independent predic tor of any risk factor. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that middl e-age men have a cardiovascular risk profile less favourable than youn g men. which is largely independent of differences in total body fat c ontent, regional fat distribution and behavioural variables.