Healthy aging

Focusing on the elderly from 1984 onwards

Because the cohorts of the Seven Countries Study and the general population were growing older, a decision was made to follow the increasingly older cohorts to study aging in the elderly – and its associations with various factors including diet and lifestyle.

The small cohort of survivors in Zutphen was supplemented with a new community sample of the same age. Thus, new studies were started in the elderly with a focus not only on the determinants of cardiovascular disease but also on healthy aging.

The FINE study and the HALE project assessed what healthy aging actually entailed and studied, in particular, the influence of diet, lifestyle and risk factors on different aspects of health.

Genotypical risk factors, stroke and cognitive decline

The Zutphen Elderly Study showed that the risk of cognitive decline over three years was 187% higher among the carriers of certain variety of gene called the APO e4 isoform.

Genotypical risk factors, stroke and cognitive decline

Cardiovascular risk factors and dementia

Men with a history of CVD at baseline had a 94% higher risk of dementia compared to those with no history.

Cardiovascular risk factors and dementia

Alcohol, all-cause mortality and long-term survival

Long-term all-cause mortality was 25% lower in men who drank less than 20 g alcohol per day compared to non-drinkers.

Alcohol, all-cause mortality and long-term survival

Physical activity and all-cause mortality

Changes in physical activity between 1985 and 1990 were related to all-cause mortality in the period 1990-1995.

Physical activity and all-cause mortality

Physical activity and cardiovascular disease

Analysis showed that going from sedentary to moderately active was associated with a 21% lower risk of 20-year CHD mortality.

Physical activity and cardiovascular disease

Alcohol and cardiovascular disease

Moderate alcohol intake was, compared to no alcohol, associated with a 30% lower mortality from cardiovascular mortality.

Alcohol and cardiovascular disease

Smoking and cardiovascular disease

An analysis using data from Seven Countries Study showed that CHD mortality was 5% higher in men who smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day compared to those who never smoked.

Smoking and cardiovascular disease

Glucose intolerance, diabetes and coronary heart disease

In men aged 50-69 a high glucose tolerance was, when compared to a low one, associated with a doubled risk of fatal CHD.

Glucose intolerance, diabetes and coronary heart disease