Association between espresso coffee and serum total cholesterol: the Tromsø Study 2015-2016

Background - Coffee raises serum cholesterol because of its diterpenes, cafestol and kahweol, and the effect varies by brewing method. Population-based research on espresso coffee’s impact on serum cholesterol is scarce. Our aim was to examine how various brewing methods, in particular espresso, were associated with serum total cholesterol (S-TC). Methods - We used cross-sectional population data from the seventh survey of the Tromsø Study in Northern Norway (N=21 083, age ≥40 years). Multivariable linear regression was used to assess the association between S-TC as the dependent variable and each level of coffee consumption using 0 cups as the reference level, adjusting for relevant covariates and testing for sex differences. Results - Consumption of 3–5 cups of espresso daily was significantly associated with increased S-TC (0.09 mmol/L, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.17 for women and 0.16 mmol/L, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.24 for men), compared with participants drinking 0 cups of espresso per day. Consumption of ≥6 cups of boiled/plunger coffee daily was also associated with increased S-TC (0.30 mmol/L, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.48 for women and 0.23 mmol/L, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.38 for men), compared with participants drinking 0 cups of boiled/plunger coffee. Consumption of ≥6 cups of filtered coffee daily was associated with 0.11 mmol/L (95% CI 0.03 to 0.19) higher S-TC levels for women but not for men. Instant coffee consumption had a significant linear trend but showed no dose–response relationship when excluding participants not drinking instant coffee. There were significant sex differences for all coffee types except boiled/plunger coffee. Conclusion<- Espresso coffee consumption was associated with increased S-TC with significantly stronger association for men compared with women. Boiled/plunger coffee was associated with increased S-TC in both sexes and with similar magnitude as shown in previous research. Filtered coffee was associated with a small increase in S-TC in women. Further research on espresso and S-TC is warranted

Risk of atrial fibrillation and stroke among older men exposed to prolonged endurance sport practice: a 10-year follow-up. The Birkebeiner Ageing Study and the Tromsø Study

Aims Endurance sport practice is associated with a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), which increases the risk of stroke in the general population. However, stroke risk in endurance athletes with AF is sparsely investigated. Most studies have been limited by design and are largely restricted to younger and middle-aged populations. Thus, we aimed to investigate AF and stroke risk in older athletes exposed to prolonged endurance training. Method During a 10-year period, 505 male athletes aged ≥65 years frequently participating in a long-distance ski race were compared with 1867 men of the same age from the general population. The main exposure was endurance sport practice with self-reported AF and stroke as outcomes. Stroke risk was further examined by joint modelling of AF and endurance practice. Statistical analysis was conducted with a modified Poisson model. Results Athletes (median age: 68, range: 65–90) participated in a long-distance ski race over a median of 14 years (range: 1–53). Prevalence (28.5% vs 17.8%) and adjusted risk of AF (risk ratio (RR): 1.88, 95% CI: 1.49 to 2.37) were higher in athletes compared with non-athletes, whereas the prevalence (5.4% vs 9.7%) and risk of stroke were lower (RR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.95). Compared with athletes without AF, risk of stroke was twofold in athletes (RR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.08 to 5.24) and nearly fourfold in non-athletes (RR: 3.87, 95% CI: 1.98 to 7.57) with AF. Conclusion Although older male endurance athletes experienced an increased risk of AF, the long-term risk of stroke was substantially reduced compared with non-athletes

Påvirker lyd/støy den kognitive belastningen og beslutningsevnen hos beredskapspersonell?

Mål: Vi ønsker å undersøke om det slik at lyd/støy påvirker den kognitive belastningen og beslutningsevnen til beredskapspersonell. Er det spesielle lydspektra i overtoneregisteret som påvirker kognisjon når de utfører oppgaver som involverer korttidshukommelsen, i henhold til teorien om cognitive load. Gitt at slike lydspektra har en negativ effekt på kognisjon, beslutninger og handlinger, vil da opplæring om overtoner redusere cognitive load? Bakgrunn: Fra forskningen vet vi at sensorisk stimuli som lyd kan påvirke mennesker i stor grad. Beredskapspersonell er i krevende situasjoner utsatt for mange typer lyd når de skal løse sine oppgaver, lede og ta beslutninger. Lyd i visse frekvensområder for den menneskelige hørsel påvirker kognisjonen vår sterkere enn andre. Noe av årsaksforklaringen til denne påvirkningen fra lyd finnes i det som kalles overtoneregisteret. Metode: Abduksjon, innhenting av primærdata via eksperiment og gruppe intervju. Vi testet og intervjuet to forskjellige vaktlag fra en brannstasjon. Alle deltakerne fikk undervegs i testen en kort innføring i og demonstrasjon av overtoner. Testresultatene og intervjuene ble sammenlignet og diskutert i lys av Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), og teori om overtoner og deres innvirkning på kognisjon, begrenset til korttidshukommelsen, også kalt arbeidsminnet eller arbeidshukommelsen

The Tromsø Heart study. Population studies of coronary risk factors with special emphasis on high density lipoprotein and the family occurrence of myocardial infarction.

The papers of the report are not available in Munin: 1. Thelle DS, Førde OH, Try K, Lehmann EH: ‘The Tromsø heart study. Methods and main results of the cross-sectional study’. Acta Med Scand. 1976;200(1-2):107-118. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0954-6820.1976.tb08204.x 2. Førde OH, Thelle DS:‘The Tromsø heart study. A multiple regression analysis of the relationship between coronary risk factors and some physical and social variables’. Scand J Public Health March 1980 vol. 8 no. 2 49-54. 3.OLAV H. FØRDE and DAG S. THELLE: ‘THE TROMSOØ HEART STUDY: RISK FACTORS FOR CORONARY HEART DISEASE RELATED TO THE OCCURRENCE OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN FIRST DEGREE RELATIVES’. Am. J. Epidemiol. (1977) 105 (3):192-199. 4. Thelle DS, Førde OH.: The cardiovascular study in Finnmark county: coronary risk factors and the occurrence of myocardial infarction in first degree relatives and in subjects of different ethnic origin. This is the manuscript version of the article. Published version in ‘Am J Epidemiol. 1979, 110(6):708-15'. 5. Dag S. Thelle, Olav H. Førde, Egil Arnesen: ‘The Tromsø heart study: A model for describing family-associated risk for coronary heart disease as a continuous variable’. (Manucript). 6. O. D. Mjøs, D. S. Thelle, O. H. Førde and H. Vik-Mo: ‘Family Study of High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and the Relation to Age and Sex’. This is the manuscript version of the article. Published version in ‘Acta Medica Scandinavica, 1977, Volume 201, Issue 1-6, pages 323–329’. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0954-6820.1977.tb15707.x 7.Miller NE, Thelle DS, Forde OH, Mjos OD.: ‘The Tromsø heart-study. High-density lipoprotein and coronary heart-disease: a prospective case-control study’. The Lancet, Volume 309, Issue 8019, 7 May 1977, Pages 965–968. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(77)92274-7 8. O. H. Førde, D. S. Thelle, N. E. Millerand, and O. D. Mjøs:’ Distribution of Serum Cholesterol between High Density and Lower Density Lipoproteins in Subjects of Norse, Finnish and Lappish Ethnic Origin’. Acta Medica Scandinavica, 1078, Volume 203, Issue 1-6, pages 21–26. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0954-6820.1978.tb14825.x</a

Associations between alcohol and liver enzymes are modified by coffee, cigarettes, and overweight in a Swedish female population

Purpose To examine whether positive associations between alcohol and liver enzymes were modified by coffee consumption, smoking, or weight status in a female population. Methods Regular consumption of beer, wine, and spirits was assessed in a representative cohort of 1462 Swedish women aged 38–60 in 1968, and re-assessed in 1974. In 1980, gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and aspartase transaminase (AST) were measured in 1130 women. Exposures were averaged over values obtained in 1968 and 1974. Multivariable linear regression linked total ethanol intake to log-transformed enzyme values, including interactions by coffee, smoking, and overweight in mutually adjusted models. Results Coffee consumption significantly modified the association between ethanol intake and liver enzymes. One g/day higher ethanol intake was associated with 5.5 (3.5, 7.5)% higher values of GGT, and 1.2 (0.4, 2.1)% higher values of AST in women consuming 0–1 cups of coffee per day, while smaller or no effects were observed in women consuming ≥2 cups/day. Synergistic interactions were observed for ethanol and smoking, and for ethanol and overweight. Average alcohol-related effects on GGT in smokers and non-smokers were given by 3.8 (2.7, 4.9)% and 2.1 (0.9, 3.2)% per g ethanol/day, and by 0.9 (0.4, 1.4)% and 0.2 (−0.3, 0.7)% for AST. Similarly, in overweight women, 1 g/day higher ethanol intake was associated with 4.3 (3.0, 5.6)% higher GGT compared to 1.6 (0.7, 2.5)% in non-overweight women. Conclusions The results suggest that coffee consumption reduces the enzyme-raising effect of ethanol in the presence of synergistic interactions with smoking and overweight, specifically in women

Increased risk of atrial fibrillation among elderly Norwegian men with a history of long-term endurance sport practice

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. The prevalence increases with increasing age. In middle-aged men, endurance sport practice is associated with increased risk of AF but there are few studies among elderly people. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of long-term endurance sport practice as a risk factor for AF in elderly men. A cross-sectional study compared 509 men aged 65–90 years who participated in a long-distance cross-country ski race with 1768 men aged 65–87 years from the general population. Long-term endurance sport practice was the main exposure. Self-reported AF and covariates were assessed by questionnaires. Risk differences (RDs) for AF were estimated by using a linear regression model. After multivariable adjustment, a history of endurance sport practice gave an added risk for AF of 6.0 percent points (pp) (95% confidence interval 0.8–11.1). Light and moderate leisure-time physical activity during the last 12 months reduced the risk with 3.7 and 4.3 pp, respectively, but the RDs were not statistically significant. This study suggests that elderly men with a history of long-term endurance sport practice have an increased risk of AF compared with elderly men in the general population

Low levels of antibodies for the oral bacterium Tannerella forsythia predict cardiovascular disease mortality in men with myocardial infarction: A prospective cohort study

Antibody levels to periodontal pathogens in prediction of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality were explored using data from a health survey in Oslo in 2000 (Oslo II-study) with 12 1/2 years follow-up. IgG antibodies to four common periodontal pathogens; Tannerella forsythia (TF), Porphyromonas gingivalis (PG), and Treponema denticola (TD) all termed collectively the “red complex”, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (AA) were analysed. The study sample consisted of 1172 men drawn from a cohort of 6,530 men who participated in the Oslo II-study, where they provided information on medical and dental history. Of the study sample, 548 men had reported prior myocardial infarction (MI) at baseline whereas the remaining 624 men were randomly drawn from the ostensibly healthy participants for comparative analyses. Dental anamnestic information included tooth extractions and oral infections. An inverse relation was found for trend by the quartile risk level of TF predicting CVD mortality, p-value for trend = 0.017. Comparison of the first to fourth quartile of TF antibodies resulted in hazard ratio (HR) = 1.82, 95% confidence interval 1.12–2.94, p = 0.015, adjusted for age, education, diabetes, daily smoking, and systolic blood pressure. Specificity comparing decile 1 to deciles 2–10 of TF predicting mortality was 92.3%. We found an increased HR by low levels of antibodies to the bacterium T. forsythia predicting CVD mortality in a 12 ½ years follow-up in persons who had experienced an MI but not among non-MI men. This novel finding constitutes a plausible causal link between oral infections and CVD mortality

Data on gender contrasts in the risk of incident myocardial infarction by age. The Tromsø Study 1979-2012

The data presented in this article relate to the research article entitled “Risk of incident myocardial infarction by gender: Interactions with serum lipids, blood pressure and smoking. The Tromsø Study 1979–2012” (Albrektsen et al., 2017) [1]. Data quantify the gender differences in the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in terms of incidence rate ratios (IRR), in subgroups defined by serum lipids, blood pressure and smoking among persons aged 35–54 years, 55–74 years and 75–94 years, respectively. Data also describe the age- and gender-specific linear associations with the coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors. IRRs for combined categories of age, gender and a CHD risk factor, with each category compared to the same reference group, are also shown. IRRs were calculated as estimates of relative risk in Poisson regression analyses of person-years at risk. Among 33,859 individuals at risk, a total of 622, 1308 and 816 were diagnosed with MI at ages 35–54, 55–74 and 75–94 years, respectively