Prevalence and associations of behavioural risk factors with blood lipids profile in Lebanese adults: findings from WHO STEPwise NCD cross-sectional survey

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine associations of behavioural risk factors, namely cigarette smoking, physical activity, dietary intakes and alcohol consumption, with blood lipids profile.Design and participantsData drawn from a cross-sectional study involving participants aged 18 years and over (n=363) from the nationwide WHO STEPwise Nutrition and Non-communicable Disease Risk Factor survey in Lebanon.MeasuresDemographic characteristics, behaviours and medical history were obtained from participants by questionnaire. Dietary assessment was performed using a 61-item Culture-Specific Food Frequency Questionnaire that measured food intake over the past year. Lipid levels were measured by the analysis of fasting blood samples (serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)).ResultsCurrent cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and low physical activity were prevalent among 33.3%, 39.7% and 41.6% of the sample, respectively. The contributions of fat and saturated fat to daily energy intake were high, estimated at 36.5% and 11.4%, respectively. Abnormal levels of TC, TG, VLDL, LDL-C and HDL-C were observed for 55.4%, 31.4%, 29.2%, 47.5% and 21.8% of participants, respectively. Adjusting for potential confounders, cigarette smoking was positively associated with higher odds of TG and VLDL (OR=4.27; 95% CI 1.69 to 10.77; and 3.26; 95% CI 1.33 to 8.03, respectively) with a significant dose–response relationship (p value for trend=0.010 and 0.030, respectively). Alcohol drinking and high saturated fat intake (≥10% energy intake) were associated with higher odds of LDL-C (OR=1.68; 95% CI 1.01 to 2.82 and OR= 1.73; 95% CI 1.02 to 2.93). Physical activity did not associate significantly with any blood lipid parameter.ConclusionThe demonstrated positive associations between smoking, alcohol drinking and high saturated fat intake with adverse lipoprotein levels lay further evidence for clinical practitioners, public health professionals and dietitians in the development of preventive strategies among subjects with a high risk of cardiovascular diseases in Lebanon and other neighbouring countries with similar epidemiological profile.

Effect of the interaction between alcohol and meat consumption on the hyperlipidaemia risk among elderly individuals: Evidence from Shanghai, China

“…Alcohol metabolism changes with age, and aging organs such as the brain and liver are more sensitive to the toxicity of alcohol (45). Studies have found a link between alcohol consumption and dyslipidaemia risk (46)(47)(48). The current study also showed a statistically significant association between drinking behavior and dyslipidaemia.…”

“…The prevalence of dyslipidaemia has been increasing in the Asia-Pacific region, which is attributed to dietary changes and decreases in physical activity (57). However, in some studies (47), such as this one, the relationship between physical activity and blood lipids was not statistically significant. Another study group found that there was no statistically significant difference in the amount of exercise between the patients with abnormal blood indexes and the healthy subjects before the diagnosis of chronic diseases (58).…”

Sugar Reduction Initiatives in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Systematic Review

“…Total Sugar intakes: Some of the studies had estimated TS intakes at the national level for certain age groups (such as adults, children or adolescents), or for the entire population (i.e., per capita), while others had produced estimates pertinent to specific regions within countries [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]. Table S3 presents data pertinent to TS intakes in countries of the region, whether these intakes were reported as g/day or % EI.…”

Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of Micro- and Macro-Nutrient Intakes and Trajectories of Macro-Nutrient Supply in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

“…The overall study characteristics are displayed in Table 2 [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]. Iran was the most represented country ( n = 55,592, 76.6%).…”