Change in serum lipids and body mass index by age, sex, and smoking status: the Tromsø study 1986-1995.

Purpose: The steady increase in body weight is becoming a major health problem in western societies. How body weight increase influences established disease risk factors is the focus of our study.
Methods: We assessed the association between 8-year change in body weight and serum lipids in a population-based study comprising 15,624 men and women aged 20 to 61 years at baseline in 1986. Comparisons between different strata of age, sex, initial weight, and categories of smoking status change were also addressed.
Results: Significant associations between body mass index (BMI) change and change in high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides were observed in all 10-year age groups both in men and women. The weakest associations were observed in persons older than 50 years of age and the associations were also weaker in women than in men. In quartile groups of baseline BMI, a significant linear trend was observed for HDL cholesterol in men and for total cholesterol in both men and women. The associations were less adverse for persons in a higher quartile group of baseline BMI. The association between BMI change and serum lipid change was strongest for persons who were consistent smokers or non-smokers at each survey.
Conclusions: We conclude that an increase in BMI has been shown to be associated with adverse changes in serum lipids. The associations were weaker in women than in men.