| Characteristic | No. of subjects (%) |
| Male | 2483 (67.7) |
| Smoker | 416 (11.3) |
| Drinks alcohol (at least once per week) | 2219 (60.5) |
| Chronic illnesses | |
| Cardiac | 47 (1.3) |
| Pulmonary | 92 (2.6) |
| Hepatic | 501 (13.7) |
| Peptic ulcer | 648 (17.7) |
| Cholesterol ⩾200 mg/dl | 314 (8.6) |
| Hyperuricaemia* and/or history of gout | 283 (7.7) |
| Metabolic syndrome | 498 (13.6) |
| Enlarged waist circumference | 1239 (33.8) |
| Hypertension or blood pressure ⩾130/85 mm Hg | 559 (15.2) |
| Diabetes or fasting glucose ⩾110 mg/dl | 198 (5.4) |
| HDL-C <40 mg/dl | 1678 (45.7) |
| Triglycerides ⩾150 mg/dl | 908 (24.7) |
| Exercise, number of times per week | |
| ⩾5 | 1013 (27.6) |
| 3–4 | 1585 (43.2) |
| ⩽2 | 1071 (29.2) |
| Sleep quality | |
| Good | 1600 (43.6) |
| Fair | 1564 (42.6) |
| Poor | 505 (13.8) |
| Symptoms of GORD | 413 (11.3) |
| Short-term use of PPI or H2RA | 587 (11.4)† |
GORD, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease; H2RA, histamine-2 receptor antagonist; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; PPI, proton pump inhibitor.
*Serum uric acid concentration >7.5 mg/dl.
†From 5145 transition periods.