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Blood lipids, fatty acids, diet and lifestyle parameters in adolescents from a region in northern Norway with a high mortality from coronary heart disease

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 56, pages 694–700 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Introduction: Students aged 13 and 14 y, in a region in northern Norway with high blood cholesterol levels and high mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) in the adult population, were studied with respect to lifestyle, dietary habits, nutritional intake and blood lipids including fatty acids in serum. The students came from a coastal community with seawater fish as an important part of the traditional diet, and an inland community with meat from reindeer as a major constituent of the diet.

Objective: To investigate whether the traditional diet was maintained among the adolescents and to evaluate the lifestyle and blood lipids. The study was followed up after 1 y.

Results: The adolescents from the coastal region did not maintain the traditional diet. In the inland region the students had a high intake of meat, probably reflecting the traditional food culture. The inland boys had higher mean body mass index (BMI) than the coastal boys, and 12% had BMI>28, as compared to none of the coastal boys. Other findings showed that the students had higher levels of blood cholesterol than in the south of Norway and several other countries (about 25% had total cholesterol >5.2 mmol/l), higher intake of dietary sugar and fat than the national recommendations and little intake of seawater fish with corresponding low levels of n-3 fatty acids. This did not change after 1 y of follow up. Some 10–20% reported daily smoking and 8–13% reported that they rarely or never did physical exercise. About 30% of the students presented no factors negatively related to development of cardiovascular disease.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate, in the majority of students at the age of 13 and 14 y, the appearance of factors contributing to development of cardiovascular disease (CHD).

Sponsorship: This study was supported by the program ‘Medisinsk forskning i Finnmark, University of Tromsø’.

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Acknowledgements

The study was supported by the program Medisinsk forskning i Finnmark, University of Tromsø, Norway. We thank the students participating in the study, their parents, the staff at the Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and IT manager Roger Johansen, Hammerfest Hospital, the Public Health Nurses and the rest of the medical service in Hammerfest and Kautokeino, the staff at Hammerfest and Kautokeino Ungdomsskole, The HEMIL Center, Bergen, and Department of Nutritional Research, University of Oslo, Norway.

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Author notes

  1. J Brox: Guarantor: Dr J Brox.

  2. J Brox, E Bjørnstad, K Olaussen, B Østerud, S Almdahl and ML Løchen: Contributors: JB originated and designed the study, EB made the dietary investigation and analyses, KO analysed the fatty acids, MLL, BØ and SA contributed to data organization and statistical analyses. JB wrote the paper with co-workers.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    J Brox

  2. University College of Vestfold, Tønsberg, Norway

    E Bjørnstad

  3. Hammerfest Hospital, Hammerfest, Norway

    K Olaussen

  4. Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Medical Biology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    B Østerud

  5. Fering klinikken, N Feiring, Norway

    S Almdahl

  6. Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    ML Løchen

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  1. J Brox
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Correspondence to J Brox.

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Brox, J., Bjørnstad, E., Olaussen, K. et al. Blood lipids, fatty acids, diet and lifestyle parameters in adolescents from a region in northern Norway with a high mortality from coronary heart disease. Eur J Clin Nutr 56, 694–700 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601381

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