Open AccessLifestyle Change and High‐Density Lipoprotein Change: The US Department of Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study
Author(s) -
RahillyTierney Catherine,
Vokonas Pantel,
Gaziano J. Michael,
Spiro Avron
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
clinical cardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.263
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-8737
pISSN - 0160-9289
DOI - 10.1002/clc.21978
Subject(s) - medicine , veterans affairs , body mass index , confidence interval , alcohol intake , cohort , demography , cohort study , alcohol consumption , high density lipoprotein , gerontology , cholesterol , alcohol , biochemistry , chemistry , sociology
Background: We sought to determine whether lifestyle modifications are associated with high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) change in a cohort with long‐term follow‐up. Hypothesis: Changes in alcohol consumption, smoking, or body mass index (BMI) are associated with within‐individual changes in HDL‐C. Methods: We selected 1420 men with ≥2 HDL‐C measurements from the US Department of Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study (NAS). Changes in HDL‐C (in milligrams/deciliter) over a 3‐year period were calculated for each pair of exams. For each interval of HDL‐C change, lifestyle exposures were categorized: participants maintained a stable BMI >25 kg/m 2 (reference) or ≤25 kg/m 2 since the previous exam, or increased or decreased BMI; participants were actively smoking at both exams (reference), nonsmokers at both exams, quit, or initiated smoking between exams; and participants maintained alcohol intake of <2 (reference) or ≥2 drinks daily since the previous exam, or increased or decreased alcohol intake. Longitudinal analysis was used to examine the relationship between the lifestyle change categories and 3‐year change in HDL‐C for each interval, adjusting for comorbidities, lipids, and cholesterol medication. Results: Participants were followed for approximately 14.3 years. Increases in HDL‐C were associated with maintaining alcohol intake of ≥2 drinks daily (mean HDL‐C increase, 0.86; P = 0.02), increasing alcohol intake from <2 to ≥2 drinks daily (mean, 2.53; P = 0.0003), and with maintaining a BMI of ≤25 kg/m 2 (mean, 0.71; P = 0.04). Conclusions: Increases in alcohol consumption, maintaining moderate alcohol intake, and maintaining BMI ≤25 kg/m 2 were associated with significant 3‐year increases in HDL‐C. Clin. Cardiol. 2012 DOI: 10.1002/clc.21978 The VA NAS is sponsored by the Cooperative Studies Program/ERIC, US Department of Veterans Affairs. This research was also supported by a VA Merit Review and a VA Research Career Scientist award to Avron Spiro. The authors have no other funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.