Table 1 Baseline features of participants

Follow-up time (median [IQR])

12.1 [11.4–12.8]

12.1 [11.4–12.8]

12.1 [11.3–12.9]

12.1 [11.4–12.8]

12.1 [11.4–12.8]

12.1 [11.4–12.8]

12.0 [11.2–12.7]

Age (median [IQR])

57.00 [50.00, 63.00]

57.00 [49.00, 62.00]

56.00 [48.00, 62.00]

57.00 [49.00, 63.00]

59.00 [51.00, 63.00]

57.00 [50.00, 62.00]

56.00 [48.00, 62.00]

Female

250,478 (55.6)

8803 (58.6)

12,585 (40.1)

154,237 (53.1)

58,365 (64.9)

12,965 (72.6)

3,523 (60.2)

Townsend Deprivation Index (median [IQR])

− 2.17 [− 3.67, 0.46]

− 1.46 [− 3.38, 1.63]

− 0.97 [− 3.10, 2.25]

− 2.24 [− 3.69, 0.31]

− 2.41 [− 3.78, − 0.10]

− 1.96 [− 3.55, 0.81]

− 1.06 [− 3.22, 2.22]

Ethnic background

 White

423,954 (94.1)

13,866 (92.3)

27,862 (88.7)

274,914 (94.7)

85,717 (95.3)

16,387 (91.8)

5208 (89.0)

 Other

26,552 (5.9)

1155 (7.7)

3556 (11.3)

15,507 (5.3)

4223 (4.7)

1466 (8.2)

645 (11.0)

Household income (￡)

 < 18,000

83,165 (21.7)

2891 (22.5)

8398 (31.7)

51,388 (20.7)

15,696 (20.6)

3327 (22.0)

1465 (31.4)

 18,000–30,999

96,658 (25.2)

2971 (23.1)

6983 (26.4)

62,007 (25.0)

19,547 (25.7)

3996 (26.5)

1154 (24.7)

 31,000–51,999

101,625 (26.5)

3273 (25.5)

6046 (22.9)

66,964 (27.0)

20,213 (26.6)

4039 (26.8)

1090 (23.4)

 52,000–100,000

80,437 (21.0)

2817 (21.9)

4009 (15.2)

53,645 (21.6)

16,221 (21.3)

2995 (19.8)

750 (16.1)

 > 100,000

21,604 (5.6)

892 (6.9)

1018 (3.8)

14,349 (5.8)

4403 (5.8)

735 (4.9)

207 (4.4)

Obesity

105,752 (23.6)

3851 (25.8)

6003 (19.3)

68,178 (23.6)

23,574 (26.3)

2905 (16.4)

1241 (21.4)

Fruit consumption (median [IQR])

2.00 [1.00, 3.00]

2.00 [1.00, 3.00]

1.00 [1.00, 2.00]

2.00 [1.00, 3.00]

2.00 [1.00, 3.00]

2.00 [2.00, 3.00]

2.00 [1.00, 3.00]

Vegetable consumption (median [IQR])

2.00 [2.00, 3.00]

3.00 [2.00, 4.00]

2.00 [1.00, 3.00]

2.00 [2.00, 3.00]

3.00 [2.00, 3.00]

3.00 [2.00, 4.00]

3.00 [2.00, 4.00]

Current smoking status

 Current

47,050 (10.5)

2148 (14.4)

6550 (20.9)

30,229 (10.4)

6409 (7.2)

968 (5.4)

746 (12.8)

 Never

250,282 (55.8)

7404 (49.5)

16,119 (51.6)

162,858 (56.3)

50,195 (56.0)

10,510 (59.0)

3196 (55.0)

 Previous

151,541 (33.8)

5405 (36.1)

8599 (27.5)

96,323 (33.3)

33,014 (36.8)

6327 (35.5)

1873 (32.2)

Alcohol intake (times/week)

 < 1

136,735 (30.4)

4664 (31.1)

11,338 (36.1)

83,071 (28.7)

28,070 (31.3)

7021 (39.3)

2571 (44.0)

 1–2

116,661 (25.9)

3108 (20.7)

6999 (22.3)

76,734 (26.4)

23,949 (26.6)

4546 (25.5)

1325 (22.7)

 3–4

104,899 (23.3)

3209 (21.4)

5848 (18.7)

70,036 (24.1)

21,022 (23.4)

3676 (20.6)

1108 (19.0)

 > 4

91,817 (20.4)

4026 (26.8)

7167 (22.9)

60,355 (20.8)

16,836 (18.7)

2597 (14.6)

836 (14.3)

 Tea intake (median [IQR])

3.00 [1.00, 5.00]

1.00 [0.00, 3.00]

3.00 [1.00, 5.00]

3.00 [2.00, 5.00]

3.00 [2.00, 5.00]

3.00 [1.00, 5.00]

3.00 [1.00, 5.00]

Processed meat intake (times/week)

 < 2

311,052 (69.2)

10,688 (71.5)

18,435 (58.9)

195,549 (67.4)

67,033 (74.6)

15,111 (84.8)

4236 (72.7)

 2–4

120,878 (26.9)

3490 (23.3)

10,527 (33.7)

82,877 (28.6)

20,207 (22.5)

2420 (13.6)

1357 (23.3)

 5–6

13,945 (3.1)

560 (3.7)

1722 (5.5)

9210 (3.2)

2049 (2.3)

232 (1.3)

172 (2.9)

 > 6

3640 (0.8)

230 (1.5)

579 (1.9)

2207 (0.8)

504 (0.6)

54 (0.3)

66 (1.1)

Supplement or drug use

 Vitamin use

142,913 (32.1)

5339 (35.9)

8288 (26.8)

86,463 (30.1)

30,908 (34.8)

9225 (52.1)

2690 (46.7)

 Minerals use

192,167 (43.1)

6221 (41.8)

10,356 (33.4)

11,9542 (41.6)

42,568 (47.8)

10,542 (59.5)

2938 (50.9)

 Blood pressure drugs use

81,767 (18.4)

2749 (18.5)

4359 (14.2)

52,700 (18.4)

18,459 (20.8)

2560 (14.5)

940 (16.4)

 Cholesterol lowering drugs use

63,807 (14.4)

2048 (13.8)

2810 (9.1)

41,092 (14.4)

15,260 (17.2)

1948 (11.0)

649 (11.3)

Health conditions

 Hypertension

113,141 (25.1)

3951 (26.3)

6528 (20.8)

72,757 (25.1)

24,801 (27.6)

3,721 (20.8)

1,383 (23.6)

 Diabetes

21,398 (4.7)

690 (4.6)

1231 (3.9)

14,062 (4.8)

4531 (5.0)

626 (3.5)

258 (4.4)

 High cholesterol

49,281 (10.9)

1594 (10.6)

2053 (6.5)

31,334 (10.8)

12,073 (13.4)

1706 (9.6)

521 (8.9)

 Longstanding illness

82,347 (18.6)

3181 (21.6)

5850 (19.0)

50,821 (17.8)

17,367 (19.7)

3735 (21.3)

1393 (24.6)