Showing papers by "Pekka Puska published in 1984"

Association between serum selenium and the risk of cancer

Abstract: A matched-pair analysis was conducted with data based on a prospective six-year follow-up of a random population sample to study the association between serum selenium and the risk of cancer. Case-control pairs were from a population, after exclusions, of 8,113 persons examined in 1972 from two counties in eastern Finland. Cases were 31- to 59-year-old men and women initially free of cancer. One control was matched to each case according to age, gender, daily tobacco consumption, and serum cholesterol concentration. The mean serum selenium of the 128 cases was 50.5 micrograms/liter and that of the controls was 54.3 micrograms/liter (p = 0.012 for difference). When the residual variation in tobacco consumption and serum cholesterol as well as that in four other possible confounders was allowed for in a multiple logistic model, serum selenium of less than 45 micrograms/liter was associated with a relative risk of cancer of 3.1 (95% confidence interval, 1.5-6.7, p less than 0.01). These data support the hypothesis that selenium deficiency increases the risk of certain cancers in middle-aged persons.

Safety and Effects of Potassium- and Magnesium-Containing Low Sodium Salt Mixtures

Abstract: The main purpose of the present studies was to examine the safety of salt mixtures in which 35 or 55% of the NaCl in common table salt was replaced by potassium and magnesium salts. For 41 elderly hospitalized patients common salt from the hospital kitchen was replaced by Na+-K+-Mg2+ salt for 3-5 weeks; for in 85 drug-treated outpatients home use of NaCl was replaced by the use of Na+-K+-Mg2+ salt for 6 months. The patients' acceptance of the Na+-K+-Mg2+ salt was good. No metabolic or other side effects could be detected while the salt was being used. Na+-K+-Mg2+ salt was associated with a fall in blood pressure in drug-treated hypertensive patients, a rise in serum magnesium and in previously low serum potassium concentrations, a fall in raised fasting blood glucose levels, and an improvement in oral glucose tolerance. The results demonstrate that a considerable part of the NaCl in common table salt could be replaced by potassium and magnesium salts without causing potassium or magnesium toxicity. The results also lend support to the concept that an increase in potassium and magnesium intake and a decrease in sodium intake may have beneficial effects in a substantial number of people.

Acute effects of marathon running on levels of serum lipoproteins and androgenic hormones in healthy males

Abstract: The acute effects of marathon (42.2 km) running on serum lipid and lipoprotein levels, particularly high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subfractions HDL 2 and HDL 3 , and on levels of serum androgenic hormones, luteinizing hormone (LH), and testosterone were studied in 20 healthy non-champion-class joggers participating in the First North Karelian Heart Marathon. Serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels were unchanged after the marathon, whereas the lipoprotein distribution of both lipids was significantly altered. Very-low-density lipoprotein triglyceride (VLDL-TG) and cholesterol (VLDL-C) levels decreased significantly, whereas low-density lipoprotein triglyceride (LDL-TG) but not cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were increased, suggesting an accumulation of VLDL remnants in the LDL density range. HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) level rose significantly owing to an increase in HDL 2 -C. HDL 3 -C level remained the same. Serum levels of apolipoproteins A-I and A-II, the main apolipoprotein constituents of HDL, did not change during the marathon but their distribution between the HDL subfractions differed, indicating a conversion of HDL 3 to HDL 2 . Serum levels of LH, testosterone, and sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) all decreased during the marathon. The changes in levels of serum lipoproteins and androgenic hormones were not interrelated. We concluded that the short-term regulation of HDL levels during acute exhaustive exercise is controlled not by changes in serum androgenic hormones but by enhanced degradation of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins.

Message dissemination for a community-based cardiovascular disease prevention programme (the North Karelia Project).

Abstract: The North Karelia Project was a community-based pilot programme in an Eastern Finnish community of 180,000 adults. During the intervention period from 1972 to 1977, the project successfully demonstrated that changing risk factors at the community level was feasible and could result in a significant reduction in disease rates. The North Karelia Project used mass media for dissemination of the message, but relied on face-to-face contact to persuade people to adopt the new lifestyles. Training seminars for professionals were a key programme component. On average, one seminar was conducted every two and a half weeks. Total project costs were only one per cent of the total health services costs for the county during the project. These findings suggest that community programmes can improve both subjective and objective cardiovascular health, and that the strategy of integrating funding into the project recruitment and commitment process is appropriate and may even be necessary for a successful community based heart disease prevention programme.

Studies on the effect of dietary fat on blood pressure.

Abstract: The role of dietary fat in the origin of human hypertension has aroused interest recently. Results from five intervention studies and from a cross-sectional international study are presented. Three of the intervention studies were carried out in Beltsville, Maryland, USA, and two were carried out in North Karelia, Finland. All the studies involved healthy people and diets typical of the areas concerned. During the experimental periods the diets were modified in such a way that the energy percentage from fats was lowered and the P/S ratio raised. Energy and salt intake were kept constant. The results showed that the blood pressure levels were consistently changed using various dietary fat modifications. The results give strong support to the hypothesis that dietary fat is associated with blood pressure.

Fish Tapeworm, a Disappearing Health Problem in Finland

Abstract: The occurrence of the tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum) in eastern Finland in 1975-81 was studied and findings were compared with previous results. The fish tapeworm has previously been shown to be a common health problem, especially in these parts of Finland. The prevalence rates of fish tapeworm eggs in large consecutive routine series of hospital laboratories have decreased to a level of 1-4% among the population. The results also indicate some possible differences in the rates and trends between different provinces in eastern Finland. The reasons for the occurrence and changing trends of the fish tapeworm in eastern Finland are discussed.