This study suggested that occupational stress is a possible risk factor for insomnia and short sleep.

It is well recognized that high fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a reduction of blood pressure (BP) measured by conventional BP measurement in Western countries; however, there is little evidence about these associations in other regions and there have been no reports on these associations using self-measured BP at home (home BP). The objective of this work was to investigate the associations of fruit and vegetable consumption and their related micronutrients with the reduction of hypertension risk by using home BP in Japanese residents. Data were obtained from 1,569 residents aged 35 and over who measured their home BP in a general population of Ohasama, Japan. Dietary intake was measured using a 141-item food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and then subjects were divided into tertiles according to fruit, vegetable, potassium, vitamin C, and beta-carotene consumption. Hypertension was defined as home systolic/ diastolic BP > or = 135/85 mmHg and/or the use of antihypertensive medication. The prevalence of home hypertension was 39.4% for men and 29.3% for women. After adjustment for all potential confounding factors, the highest-tertile consumptions of fruits, vegetables, potassium, and vitamin C were associated with a significantly lower risk of hypertension (45%, 38%, 46%, and 43% lower risk of home hypertension, respectively). In conclusion, this cross-sectional study based on home BP measurement suggests that high-level consumptions of fruits, vegetables, potassium, and vitamin C are associated with a significantly lower risk of hypertension.

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These results suggest that GGT is independently associated with an increased level of CRP in both males and females. In addition, in males, GGT is related to an increased level of arterial stiffness.

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The relationships between C-reactive protein (CRP), uric acid (UA), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and arterial stiffness have not been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to clarify whether CRP, UA, and estimated GFR are related to arterial stiffness estimated using brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). The subjects were local government employees (3412 men and 854 women). baPWV, CRP, UA, GFR, and conventional risk factors were evaluated. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that CRP and UA were significantly related to an elevation of PWV in male and female subjects, and that the estimated GFR was significantly related to an elevation of PWV in male subjects. Significant progressive increases in baPWV were observed across the quartiles of CRP in male subjects and for UA in male and female subjects. In female subjects, the relationship of quartile CRP to baPWV had marginal significance (P ¼ 0.055). But, in male and female subjects, quartile of estimated GFR had no significant association with PWV. These results suggest that CRP and UA are associated with an increase of arterial stiffness in male and female subjects, and that estimated GFR is possibly related to arterial stiffness in male subjects.

Aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) is used to screen primary hyperaldosteronism. We investigated the association between ARR and the prevalence of hypertension using home blood pressure (HBP) measurements in community residents stratified for long-term habitual dietary sodium intake. We obtained HBP and conventional blood pressure (CBP) data for 514 participants aged X35 years not receiving antihypertensive treatment in the general population of Ohasama (mean age: 59.7 ± 10.8 years; 71.2% women). A standardized method was used to calculate habitual sodium intake from a food-frequency questionnaire. The prevalence of HBP hypertension (X135/85 mm Hg) and CBP hypertension (X140/90 mm Hg) were 12.6 and 20.2%, respectively. The median plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and ARR were 1.1 ng ml -1 h -1 , 6.4 ng per 100 ml and 5.5 ng per 100 ml per ng ml -1 h -1 , respectively. After adjustment for possible confounding factors, each 1 s.d. increase in logARR was associated with the prevalence of HBP hypertension (odds ratio 1.37; P¼0.04), but not with the prevalence of CBP hypertension (P¼0.2). The association of ARR with HBP hypertension was strengthened for subjects with high sodium intake (greater than or equal to the median of 4822 mg day -1 ), whereas it became nonsignificant for those with low sodium intake (interaction P¼0.03). Among subjects with high sodium intake, HBP hypertensives had significantly lower PRA than normotensives, despite no differences in PAC. In conclusion, relative aldosterone excess or low-renin hypertension may have an important role in HBP hypertension in the general population with high sodium intake.

In conclusion, the present study indicates that high strain indicated by high demands and low control is associated with increased arterial stiffness in women. The types of job stress associated with a high risk of arterial stiffness may differ by gender.