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Lower HDL-cholesterol among healthy middle-aged Japanese-Brazilians in São Paulo compared to Natives and Japanese-Brazilians in Japan

  • Cardiovascular Diseases
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Abstract

Blood lipid levels are determined by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Higher than average values of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) have been observed in people of Japanese ethnicity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Japanese immigrants to Brazil and subsequent generations maintain the protective benefits associated with higher levels of HDL-cholesterol, and to examine the potential associations between HDL-cholesterol and a variety of other blood lipids, anthropometric and lifestyle factors. Healthy men and women aged 35 years and older who were Native Japanese (n = 198) or Japanese-Brazilians (JB) living in São Paulo, Brazil (n = 198) and in some Japanese cities (n = 246) were investigated. Anthropometric variables, blood lipids including HDL-cholesterol, and lifestyle factors were assessed. Serum HDL-cholesterol was observed to be lower for JB in São Paulo (both women and men) compared with Natives and JB in Japan. Among the groups, triglycerides, waist circumference, LDL-cholesterol, meat intake, stress, and smoking were observed to be independently negatively associated with HDL-cholesterol, whereas total cholesterol, fish intake, and physical activity were positively associated. Lower levels of HDL-cholesterol among both men and women of JB in São Paulo compared with both other groups were confirmed even after lifestyle adjustments. Our findings highlight the significantly lower levels of HDL-cholesterol among Japanese-Brazilians living in São Paulo city compared to Japanese-Brazilians and Native Japanese residing in Japan. Although several lifestyle factors were found to be significantly associated with HDL-cholesterol, they cannot adequately explain the role of the Brazilian cultural environment on HDL-cholesterol levels.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the 21st century Center of Excellence (COE) program (2002–2007 Nishihira Project); Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (2003–2006 Tanaka Project) and doctoral fellowship (main author) from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; and, research fund (Bunka-Sumitomo Mitsui 2004) from the Brazilian Association of Japanese Culture. Deep thanks to all collaborators from the University of Tsukuba and São Paulo University. We greatly appreciate the participation of all community centers from Japan and Brazil, and to all Japanese and Brazilians whom voluntarily enrolled in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, Sports Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8574, Japan

    Andiara Schwingel, Yoshio Nakata, Tomoaki Matsuo & Kiyoji Tanaka

  2. Center for Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

    Yoshio Nakata & Kiyoji Tanaka

  3. Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, São Paulo University, São Paulo, Brazil

    Lucy S. Ito, Sueli M. Oba-Shinjo & Suely K. N. Marie

  4. Japanese Brazilian Health Professional Volunteer Group, São Paulo, Brazil

    Lucy S. Ito & Sueli M. Oba-Shinjo

  5. Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA

    Wojtek J. Chodzko-Zajko & Christopher T. Erb

  6. Faculty of Education, Mie University, Shima, Japan

    Ryosuke Shigematsu

  7. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil

    Simone M. Souza

Authors
  1. Andiara Schwingel
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  2. Yoshio Nakata
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  3. Lucy S. Ito
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  11. Kiyoji Tanaka
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Correspondence to Andiara Schwingel.

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Schwingel, A., Nakata, Y., Ito, L.S. et al. Lower HDL-cholesterol among healthy middle-aged Japanese-Brazilians in São Paulo compared to Natives and Japanese-Brazilians in Japan. Eur J Epidemiol 22, 33–42 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-006-9093-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-006-9093-y

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