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Effects of age on relationship of alcohol drinking and obesity to atherosclerotic risks
Author(s) -
Wakabayashi Ichiro
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/j.1447-0594.2004.00233.x
Subject(s) - medicine , blood pressure , diabetes mellitus , dyslipidemia , body mass index , obesity , risk factor , endocrinology , middle age , physiology
Atherosclerosis is a chronic pathological process in the arteries, in which a variety of its risk factors, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, diabetes mellitus and obesity, are involved. Atherosclerotic progress is also closely linked with aging. We investigated effects of age on the relationships of alcohol drinking and obesity to atherosclerotic risks. Elevating effects of light drinking on blood pressure were significant in middle‐aged and relatively old subjects but not in young subjects. The decreasing effects of light drinking on blood LDL cholesterol were significant in relatively young and middle‐aged subjects, but not in elderly subjects, while increasing effects of light drinking on blood HDL cholesterol were significant in young, middle‐aged, and elderly groups. In patients with type 2 diabetes, light drinking significantly decreased aortic pulse‐wave velocity, which reflects atherosclerotic progress, without significant changes in blood HDL and fibrinogen levels, and this tendency was also found in elderly diabetes patients. Body mass index (BMI) was significantly correlated with arterial pressure and serum tryglyceride, HDL cholesterol, uric acid, and sialic acid levels in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. Thus, age may be an important factor that affects the relations of some atherosclerotic risk factors to atherosclerotic progress.