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CO[TffiIER-P()ST. Camden, New Jersey NSay 22 1 1962 ' .TESTS LINKiNG C16ABETLS ILLNESS CON1RADICTORY; EXPERT FlNDS NEW YORK, May 22 (L1PI) Ifindings and he thought per- --Confusi,ng contradiietioYn is I appearing in the scientific case which links cigaret smokingl, haps age might mean some- dng. His subjects were be- een' 18 and' 25 years old and the smokers among them with heart disease. So far this l year two scientific studies have produced a flat' "no" to a, key, question which, six previous'I studies answered with a flat r`yes: " The question is this: Aree choiest'eroi, blood levels higher In cigaret smokers than in non~smokers? Cholesterol stands indicted as a prime hardener of arteries and har- dened arteries are the prime cause of heart attacks. ~ The newest disputing "no"' cnrnes from the Finnish inves-, tigator, Dr. Aarne Knottinen' of the Wilauri Research Insti- tute in Helsinki: His "no"' re-. sulted. from his three year- study of 314 healthy young tnen as they began their mili- tary service. Conscripts were taken at random. B1bod' samples were exhaustively analyzed' for both alpha and beta cholesterol and for blood fats. Meanwhile the men were questioned! about their smoking. Almost half ;145) didn't smoke and never Zad but 62 smoked more than )ne pack a day. The remain- ier were divided almost evenly 3etween "light" and i'moder- ate" smokers. ~ ~[.I':TLE DIFFERENCE There were hardly any dif- ferences betweeia bloodi choles- terol levels and the balances of blood fats In the smokers 'and the non-smokers, and cer- tainliy none which even ap- proached "statistical signifi- cance." There was a slight dif- ference in alpha cholesterol' C variance but it was between non-smokers and light smokers only. Konttinen dismissed it as meaningless. He was keenly aware of' this contradiction, with previolls hadn't been smoking for long although all, had been smoking for at least one year. Kont- tinen said -perhaps it took many years of smoking to af. fect' cholesterol levels. However, the British investi- gators, Drs: R. M: Acheson and W. J. E. Jessop recently report- ed on their 'investigation of blood cholesterol levels in old men who smoked and old men who didiz1t smoke. By choles+ terol readiings alone they couldn't separate the smokers from the non-smokers. Konttinen was unable to ex- plain why his investigation had, produced its flat "no" in a field where six similar In- vestigations by other scien- tists, between 1955 and 1951, had found "yes" unanimously. He could only reject the theory that smokers have a taste preference for fats in their meals. Some recent ex- perinnents of' his showed that ,after fatty meals there was a srnaller rise of fatty bloodi sub. ~tances In smokers than in on-smokers. EMOTIONAL FACTORS He also considered' the pos- sibility thatl emotional factors may be a hidden cause both of hoavy cigaret srno king and of' high blood cholesterol levels. This idea has been furthered by several scientific groups over the past few years. These groups called the f a c t o r s "mentaltension."' Konttinen w a s skept!ical.. "Mental tension - cannot be measured," he remarked. He addedi dryly that "further in- vestigations of the relatdofa- ship of' smoking to the serum Qipids are required" to resolvee leontradictions ~~. Konttinen was skeptical. "Men- tal tension cannot be measured,"' he remarked. He add"ed dryly that "further investigations of the re- lationship of smoking to the serum lipids are required" to re- solve contradictions. - 1003~537701 ~ Y _ Ri":,;0AtD ~ Stockton,, California, May 22', 1962 ;Scienec Today Ci a rsette, Heart Viseas e} . ~ Connection Is , Dis~~' '/uted~ :: .. ~ . , . _ . i By DEhOS S6iITH 1DPI Scieace Editor NEWYt)IH: (UPI)-Confusing cai' significance:"' There was a,. contradiction is appearing in the scientific case which links ciga- rette smoking with heart disease. So far, this year two scientific studies have produced a flat "no"' to a key qpestion, which six pre- vious studies answered with a 'flat "yes."' The question is this: /l<re cho- lesterol blood levels higher in dgarettie smokers than, in non- smokers? Cholesterol stands in- dicted as a prime hardener- of arteries and hardened arteries aree the prime cause of heart attacks. The newest disputing "no"'i comes from the Finnish investi+ gator, Dr. Aarne Konttinen of the~ Wihuri Research Institute in He1-~ sinki. His "no" resulted from his' three-year-study of 314 healthy young men as they began their military service. Conscripts were taken at ran- dom. Bloodl samples were exhaus- tively analyzed for both Alpha andlBeta cholesterol and'for blood -fats: Meanwhile, the men, were questioned about' their smoking, A7tnost' half (145) didn't smoke and never had but' 62 smoked more than one pack a day. The remainder were divided almost evenly between "light" and!"mod- erate" smokers. There were hardly any differ- ences between, blood, cholesterol levels and' the balances of' blood fats in the smokers and' the non- smokers, and certainly n o n e which even approached' "statisti- slight difference in alpha oholes• teral variance but it was betweeni nornsmokers and light smokers only. Konttinen dismissed iU as meaningless. ' -He was keenly aware of this ' contradiction with previous find- ings and he thought perhaps age might mean something. His sub- jects were between 18 and' 25 years old and the smokers among them hadn't' been smoking for long although all, had been smok- ing for at least one year. Kontti- nen said perhaps it took manyy years of'smoking to affect choles- terol levels. However, the British lnvestiga- tors„ Drs. R1 M. Acheson and W.•J. E. Jessop recently, rreported on their investigation of blood Ilcholesterol levels iniold men who. ~moked and oid men who didn't smoke. By cholesterol. readings alone they' couldn'.t separate thee smokers from the non-smokers. Konttinen 1 was unable to explain. why his investigation had pro- duced its flat "no" in a field where six similar investigations by other scientists, between 1955' and 1961, had found "yes"' un+ aniinously. He could only reject the theory that smokers have a taste prefer- ence for fats in their meals. Some recent experiemnts of his showed that' after fatty meals there was a smaller rise of fatrt.y, blood.sub: stances in smokers than in non+ smokers. hIe also considered the possi- bility tl"iat emotional factors may be a hidden cause both of heavy cigarette smoking and of' high blood cholesterol levels: T'his idea has been furthered by several scientific groups over the past few years. These groups called the factors "mentaltensioni" .