Blood pressure measurements were performed by an automated sphygmomanometer blood pressure meter (Omron 705CP-II, OMRON Medizintechnik Handesgesellschaft GmbH, Germany) after 5, 8 and 11 minutes of rest. The mean from the 2nd and 3rd standardized measurement was calculated for the systolic and diastolic blood pressure. For the anthropometric measurements, calibrated, digital scales (Seca 862, Seca Germany), a measuring stick (Seca 220, Seca, Germany) and a waist measuring tape were used. The blood sampling was carried out under fasting conditions. HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and C-reactive protein (CRP) measurements were performed on an Architect c8000 by commercially available tests (CRP, Ultra HDL, Direct LDL and Triglycerides) from Abbott (www.abbottdiagnostics.de). All tests were measured under standardized conditions in an accredited laboratory of the institute of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine at the University of Mainz. Smoking was defined by dichotomizing the population into non-smokers (never smokers and former smokers) and smokers (occasional smoker, i.e. <1 cigarette/day, and smoker, i.e. >1 cigarette/day).
