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Increased ventricular premature complexes (VPCs) are associated with a higher risk of cardiac morbidities. However, little information is available on the risk factors of Western general populations. Therefore, we aimed to assess the frequency and associated factors of VPCs in healthy general Japanese men. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study in 517 men, aged 40 to 79 years, using 24-hour Holter electrocardiography. Age, body mass index, height, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, resting heart rate, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, lipid-lowering therapy were included in multivariable negative binomial regression to assess independent correlates for the number of VPCs per hour. We observed at least 1 VPC in 1 hour in 429 men (83%). In multivariable negative binomial regression adjusted for all covariates simultaneously, age (risk ratio [95% confidence interval] 1.91 [1.56 to 2.33] per 1-SD increment), height (1.17 [1.04 to 1.49] per 1-SD increment), resting heart rate(1.34 [1.02 to 1.77] per 1-SD increment), diabetes mellitus (2.36 [1.17 to 4.76] ), hypertension (1.90 [1.03 to 3.50]), physical activity (0.67 [0.47 to 0.97] ), current smoking (4.23 [1.86 to 9.60] ), past smoking (2.08 [1.03 to 4.19] ), current light alcohol consumption (0.16 [0.04 to 0.64] ), and lipid-lowering therapy (0.47 [0.23 to 0.96] ) were independently associated with VPCs frequency. In conclusion, VPCs frequency was independently associated with age, height, resting heart rate, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and lipid-lowering therapy.

Background: Excessive alcohol intake has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular disease via metabolic pathways. However, the relationship between alcohol intake and obesity has not been fully elucidated. We aimed to examine the association of alcohol consumption with fat deposition and anthropometric measures. Methods: From 2006–2008, we conducted a cross-sectional study in a population-based sample of Japanese men aged 40 through 79 years. Areas of abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) were calculated using computed tomography imaging. Based on a questionnaire, we classified participants into five groups according to weekly alcohol consumption, excluding former drinkers: non-drinkers (0 g/week), 0.1–160.9, 161–321.9, 322–482.9, and ≥483 g/week. Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate adjusted means of obesity indices for each group. Results: We analyzed 998 men (mean age and body mass index [BMI], 63.8 years and 23.6 kg/m2, respectively). Higher weekly alcohol consumption was strongly and significantly associated with higher abdominal VAT area, percentage of VAT, and VAT-to-SAT ratio (all P for trend

BACKGROUND: The risk of coronary heart disease remains low in Japan, although distributions of several coronary risk factors have become comparable to those in the United States (US). We prospectively compared coronary atherosclerosis burden, measured with coronary artery calcium (CAC) progression, between men in the 2 countries. METHODS: In 2 population-based samples of 1,712 US White, Black, Hispanic, Chinese men (baseline, 2000-2002) and 697 Japanese men in Japan (2006-2008) aged 45-74 years without clinical cardiovascular disease, we quantified CAC progression by serial computed tomography with medians of 3.4 and 5.2 years between scans, respectively. RESULTS: Among White, Black, Hispanic, Chinese, and Japanese men free of baseline CAC, CAC incidence was observed in 35.2%, 26.9%, 29.2%, 18.9%, and 29.2%, respectively. After adjustment for times between scans, demographics, behaviors, coronary risk factors, and their changes between scans, White men had significantly higher CAC incidence than Japanese men (relative risk, 1.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.50). Among those with detectable baseline CAC, after similar adjustments, all the US race/ethnic groups had significantly greater annual changes in CAC score [mean (95% confidence interval), 39.4 (35.2-43.6) for White; 26.9 (21.4-32.4) for Black; 30.6 (24.7-36.5) for Hispanic; 30.2 (22.6-37.8) for Chinese men] than Japanese men [15.9 (10.1-21.8)]. CONCLUSIONS: We found a higher CAC incidence among US White men and greater increases in existing CAC among all the US race/ethnic groups than among Japanese men in Japan. These differences persisted despite adjustment for differences in coronary risk factors.

Background The risk of coronary heart disease remains low in Japan, although distributions of several coronary risk factors have become comparable with those in the United States. We prospectively compared coronary atherosclerosis burden, measured with coronary artery calcium (CAC) progression, between men in the 2 countries. Methods In 2 population-based samples of 1712 US White, Black, Hispanic, Chinese men (baseline, 2000-2002) and 697 Japanese men in Japan (2006-2008) aged 45-74 years without clinical cardiovascular disease, we quantified CAC progression by serial computed tomography with medians of 3.4 and 5.2 years between scans, respectively. Results Among White, Black, Hispanic, Chinese, and Japanese men free of baseline CAC, CAC incidence was observed in 35.2%, 26.9%, 29.2%, 18.9%, and 29.2%, respectively. After adjustment for times between scans, demographics, behaviors, coronary risk factors, and their changes between scans, White men had significantly higher CAC incidence than Japanese men (relative risk, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.13-2.50). Among those with detectable baseline CAC, after similar adjustments, all the US race/ethnic groups had significantly greater annual changes in CAC score (mean [95% CI]: 39.4 [35.2-43.6] for White, 26.9 [21.4-32.4] for Black, 30.6 [24.7-36.5] for Hispanic, and 30.2 [22.6-37.8] for Chinese men) than Japanese men (15.9 [10.1-21.8]). Conclusions We found a higher CAC incidence among US White men and greater increases in existing CAC among all the US race/ethnic groups than among Japanese men in Japan. These differences persisted despite adjustment for differences in coronary risk factors.

The incidence of coronary heart disease in the United States has declined, and prevalences of several coronary disease risk factors have become comparable to those in Japan. Therefore, the burden of coronary atherosclerosis may be closer among younger persons in the 2 countries. We aimed to compare prevalences of coronary atherosclerosis, measured with coronary artery calcium scores, between men in the 2 countries by age group (45-54, 55-64, or 65-74 years). We used community-based samples of Caucasian men in the United States (2000-2002; n = 1,067) and Japanese men in Japan (2006-2008; n = 832) aged 45-74 years, stratifying them into groups with 0, 1, 2, or ≥3 of the following risk factors: current smoking, overweight, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. We calculated adjusted odds ratios of US Caucasian men's having Agatston scores of ≥10, ≥100, and ≥400 with reference to Japanese men. Overall, the odds of Caucasian men having each Agatston cutoff point were greater. The ethnic difference, however, became smaller in younger age groups. For example, adjusted odds ratios for Caucasian men's having an Agatston score of ≥100 were 2.05, 2.43, and 3.86 among those aged 45-54, 55-64, and 65-74 years, respectively. Caucasian men in the United States had a higher burden of coronary atherosclerosis than Japanese men, but the ethnic difference was smaller in younger age groups.