Association between soft drink, fruit juice consumption and obesity in Eastern Europe: cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of the HAPIEE study.

BACKGROUND: Fruit juice and soft drink consumption have been shown to be related to obesity. However, this relationship has not been explored in Eastern Europe. The present study aimed to assess the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between fruit juice, soft drink consumption and body mass index (BMI) in Eastern European cohorts. METHODS: Data from the Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors in Eastern Europe population-based prospective cohort study, based in Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic, were used. Intakes of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB), artificially-sweetened beverage (ASB) and fruit juice were estimated from a food frequency questionnaire. Participant BMI values were assessed at baseline (n = 26 634) and after a 3-year follow-up (data available only for Russia, n = 5205). RESULTS: Soft drink consumption was generally low, particularly in Russia. Compared to never drinkers of SSB, participants who drank SSB every day had a significantly higher BMI in the Czech [ß-coefficient = 0.28; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.02-0.54], Russian (ß-coefficient = 1.38; 95% CI = 0.62-2.15) and Polish (ß-coefficient = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.29-1.37) cohorts. Occasional or daily ASB consumption was also positively associated with BMI in all three cohorts. Results for daily fruit juice intake were inconsistent, with a positive association amongst Russians (ß-coefficient = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.28-1.21) but a negative trend in the Czech Republic (ß-coefficient = -0.42; 95% CI = -0.86 to 0.02). Russians participants who drank SSB or ASB had an increased BMI after follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support previous studies suggesting that soft drink consumption (including SSBs and ASBs) is positively related to BMI, whereas our results for fruit juice were less consistent. Policies regarding these beverages should be considered in Eastern Europe to lower the risk of obesity.

Coffee consumption and risk of hypertension in the Polish arm of the HAPIEE cohort study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Coffee consumption has been hypothesized to be associated with blood pressure (BP), but previous findings are not homogeneous. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between coffee consumption and the risk of developing hypertension. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data on coffee consumption, BP and use of anti-hypertensive medicament were derived from 2725 participants of the Polish arm of the HAPIEE project (Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors In Eastern Europe) who were free of hypertension at baseline and followed up for an average of 5 years. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by multivariate logistic regression analyses and stratified for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: Coffee consumption was related to decreased age, smoking status and total energy intake. Compared with persons who drink <1 cup coffee per day, systolic BP was significantly associated with coffee consumption and the risk of hypertension was lower for individuals consuming 3-4 cups per day. Despite the analysis stratified by gender showed that the protective effect of coffee consumption on hypertension was significant only in women, the analysis after stratification by smoking status revealed a decreased risk of hypertension in non-smokers drinking 3-4 cups of coffee per day in both sexes (OR 0.41, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.79 for men and OR 0.54, 95% CI: 0.29, 0.99 for women). Upper category coffee consumption (>4 cups per day) was not related to significant increased risk of hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Relation between coffee consumption and incidence of hypertension was related to smoking status. Consumption of 3-4 cups of coffee per day decreased the risk of hypertension in non-smoking men and women only.

Age at natural menopause in three central and eastern European urban populations: the HAPIEE study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the age at menopause in three urban populations in Central and Eastern Europe and to assess whether the (suspected) differences can be explained by a range of socioeconomic, reproductive and behavioural factors. METHODS: The Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors in Eastern Europe (HAPIEE) Study examined random samples of populations aged 45-69 years in Novosibirsk (Russia), Krakow (Poland) and six Czech towns. Participants completed a questionnaire and attended an examination in clinic. A total of 12,676 of women were included in these analyses. RESULTS: The median age at menopause was 50 years in Novosibirsk, 51 years in Czech towns and 52 years in Krakow; the Cox regression hazard ratios of menopause, compared with Krakow, were 1.47 (95% CI 1.40-1.55) for Novosibirsk and 1.10 (1.04-1.16) for Czech women. In multivariate analyses, higher education, using vitamin and mineral supplements and ever use of oral contraceptives were associated with later menopause, while smoking, abstaining from alcohol and low physical activity were associated with earlier menopause. These factors, however, did not explain the differences between populations; the multivariate hazard ratios of menopause, compared with Krakow, were 1.48 (1.40-1.57) for Novosibirsk and 1.11 (1.05-1.17) for Czech women. CONCLUSIONS: In this large population based study, differences in age at menopause between Central and Eastern Europe populations were substantial and unexplained by a range of risk factors. Associations of age at menopause with risk factors were largely consistent with studies in other populations.