Biomaterial Database

Mortality among health-conscious elderly Californians. 1982

J E Enstrom, and L Pauling

In an attempt to obtain epidemiologic evidence regarding the mortality rate among vitamin supplement users, a prospective study was made of 479 elderly Californian respondents to a 1974 questionnaire carried in Prevention, a health magazine that advocates vitamin supplement usage. Based on self-reported questionnaire data obtained in 1974 and 1977, this cohort does indeed consume large quantities of vitamin and mineral supplements. In addition, the cohort is quite health conscious and appears to have taken up a "Prevention life-style" in recent years. For instance, these individuals are primarily nonsmokers, although about 50% formerly smoked cigarettes. Most of them eat meat, poultry, or fish but do so in moderation; and they consume only modest amounts of alcohol, whole milk, white bread, salt, and sugar. Their socioeconomic status is somewhat higher than the national average. Because this group differs from the general population in many ways it is difficult to separate the various factors that might influence their health. During 6 years of follow-up, a total of 107 deaths occurred. Based on comparison with 1977 United States whites, the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) is 78% for the males, 54% for the females, and 68% for both sexes combined. All three SMR values are significantly less than 100% (P less than 0.05). For both sexes combined, the SMR is 86% for cancer, 62% for total cardiovascular diseases, and 73% for all other causes. Only the cardiovascular SMR is significantly lower than 100%. The death rate for the males is approximately the same as that reported among other healthy nonsmoking questionnaire respondents. but the death rate for females is significantly less (P less than 0.01). The only notable relationships between questions asked in 1974 and subsequent mortality are those indicating a higher mortality rate associated with inactivity, heart trouble, and very low and very high levels of vitamin E intake. For this highly selected cohort, the overall "Prevention life-style" appears to be a healthy one, but the cohort experiences no clear reduction in total mortality because of high levels of vitamin intake per se.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D009026	Mortality	All deaths reported in a given population.	CFR Case Fatality Rate,Crude Death Rate,Crude Mortality Rate,Death Rate,Age Specific Death Rate,Age-Specific Death Rate,Case Fatality Rate,Decline, Mortality,Determinants, Mortality,Differential Mortality,Excess Mortality,Mortality Decline,Mortality Determinants,Mortality Rate,Mortality, Differential,Mortality, Excess,Age-Specific Death Rates,Case Fatality Rates,Crude Death Rates,Crude Mortality Rates,Death Rate, Age-Specific,Death Rate, Crude,Death Rates,Determinant, Mortality,Differential Mortalities,Excess Mortalities,Mortalities,Mortality Declines,Mortality Determinant,Mortality Rate, Crude,Mortality Rates,Rate, Age-Specific Death,Rate, Case Fatality,Rate, Crude Death,Rate, Crude Mortality,Rate, Death,Rate, Mortality,Rates, Case Fatality
D009369	Neoplasms	New abnormal growth of tissue. Malignant neoplasms show a greater degree of anaplasia and have the properties of invasion and metastasis, compared to benign neoplasms.	Benign Neoplasm,Cancer,Malignant Neoplasm,Tumor,Tumors,Benign Neoplasms,Malignancy,Malignant Neoplasms,Neoplasia,Neoplasm,Neoplasms, Benign,Cancers,Malignancies,Neoplasias,Neoplasm, Benign,Neoplasm, Malignant,Neoplasms, Malignant
D010506	Periodicals as Topic	Works about publications issued at stated, more or less regular, intervals.	Journals as Topic,Magazines,Newsletters,Magazine,Newsletter
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D002140	California	State bounded on the east by Nevada and Arizona, on the south by Mexico and the Pacific Ocean on the south and west, and on the north by Oregon.
D002318	Cardiovascular Diseases	Pathological conditions involving the CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM including the HEART; the BLOOD VESSELS; or the PERICARDIUM.	Adverse Cardiac Event,Cardiac Events,Major Adverse Cardiac Events,Adverse Cardiac Events,Cardiac Event,Cardiac Event, Adverse,Cardiac Events, Adverse,Cardiovascular Disease,Disease, Cardiovascular,Event, Cardiac
D004032	Diet	Regular course of eating and drinking adopted by a person or animal.	Diets
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man