Finnish Human Myocardial Degeneration-Associations with Selenium, P/Mg fertilization Ratio, Total Fertilization, Livestock Fodder, Sugar, Non-CVD and Subtypes of CVD in Finland during 1971 – 2012

Pig heart muscle (Myocardial) Degeneration (MyCD) was efficiently treated since the 1960’s with Selenium (Se), but there are scanty published data on human MyCD. Mineral Fertilization (fm) Parameters, including (P/Mg).fm, have often explained less CHD (Coronary Heart Disease) than Non-CHD (others than CHD), but about similarly CVD (Cardiovascular Diseases) and Non-CVD (others than CVD). This study is treating (mortality from) MyCD, CVD and its subtypes: CHD, “cardiac diseases others than CHD” ([Card.oth]), Cerebrovascular (CbrVasc) and other Vascular Diseases ([Vasc.oth]) of Whole Population (WP) and aged 15-64 (15_64), as well as their associations with (P/ Mg).fm, (CaMgNPK).fm, silage production (availability of vitamin E) and human sugar consumption, based on old data. Associations, as concerning Se, are mainly represented by figures, but [Card.oth] and its subtype MyCD are represented by regressions, too. Fertilizer data are slightly smoothened.


Introduction
Heart muscle (Myocardial) Degeneration (MyCD) was efficiently treated by pigs since the 1960's, but little or nothing has been published on human MyCD [1], if surgical treatments (on an average 16 transplantations annually to adult patients in 1985-2012) [2] are excluded. K/Mg and P/Mg fertilization ratios have associated differently with (mortality from) CHD and Non-CHD [3,4]. Available linear regression (numerical) analyses by fertilizer factors have not satisfactorily explained mortality difference between CVD and Non-CVD [5], although absolute increase in Non-CVD was higher than in Non-CHD (Figures 1 & 2).  Historical data shows that fatal pig MyCD was practically ceased before 1971 through improved grain harvesting and postharvesting methods and fodder Se supplementation [6]. Anyhow Se content of human diet was unsatisfactory (29 mcg/d) still at the mid 1970´s [7]. Se fertilization since autumn 1984 elevated Finnish dietary and body content to satisfactory level [8]. 1986 was the first year, when domestic food and fodder were Se enriched from January to December. It was suspected that the changes in cattle fodder could have had effects on human mortality. DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2019. 18.003171

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The aim of this study is to clarify associations of selected fertilization factors, sugar consumption and silage production with mortality groups Tot, CVD, Non-CVD and its subtypes of CVD (

Materials and Methods
Annual mortality data (1/100,000) are from Statistics Finland, as mortality from MyCD [9], (Table 1). Data on total mortality (Tot), CVD and its subtypes {1. CHD, 2. "cardiac diseases other than CHD" [Card.oth], 3. cerebrovascular [CbrVasc] and 4. other vascular diseases [Vasc.oth]} of whole population (WP) [10] and aged 15-64 (15_64) [11] are from Statistics Finland in free access. Mineral Fertilization (fm) factors (P/Mg) and approximate total fertilizer consumption (CaMgNPK), NPK (Eq/ha) and Liming agents (Lim. ag) are the same (and from the same sources) as in [5]. Data on silage production, i.e utilization, are from Statistical Yearbooks of Finland [12]. Human sugar consumption data (as an indicator of dilution of protective nutrients) are provided by Food Balance Sheets of FAOSTAT [13]. Se associations are represented as vertical lines on year 1985 or 1986 on several figures. Population data for calculating the excess Non-CVD mortality for the epidemics is provided by Statistics Finland [14]. Non-CVD has been attained by subtracting CVD from Tot and Non-CHD by subtracting CHD from Tot, which includes Accidents and Violence-(Acc.&.Viol), too. To avoid the potential risk to mix Non-CVD with pure "disease-Non-CVD" (Tot.nat-CVD), in figures, its label has beeb kept as (Tot-CVD), in order to keep the database intact. So Non-CVD has been used as synonym for (Tot-CVD) and respectively Non-CHD for (Tot-CHD).   Figure 4 represents consumption of Total and NPK fertilizers (kiloequivalents/ha), as well as Liming agents (Lim.ag), i.e. CO3-fertilizers (3ymw-softened, as represented in Materials and Methods). (Ca and Mg are included in other fertilizers than carbonates, too). In Finland Mg-% has varied between 2 and 7 % in 1950 -2000). Amounts of Lim.ag can be changed from kg's to approximate CO 3 (CO3.appr) equivalents by multiplying the amounts by selected fixed coefficient, which is increasing from 20.24 and 20.89, depending on Mg-% (from 2.0 to 7.0 %). 1.5 % change in Mg-% selection changes CO3.appr value only by 1 %. In order to avoid new calculations for different periods Lim.ag's have been used as such, because variation in it is the same as in                All represented results were highly significant (p < 0.001).       Figure  17 represents mortality from Myocardial Degeneration, aged 35-65, and its regession by sugar consumption in 1971-2007. Regession explained MyCD variation by 54.8 %. Compliance seems rather good, but during 1986-93 trends go to different directions. Figure  13 represents mortality from Myocardial Degeneration, aged 35-65, and its regression by annual silage production (utilization) in 1971-2000. Regression explained MyCD variation by 67.9 %. Figure  14 Represents [Card.oth] and its regression by MyCD in 1971-2007. They explained variation in each other by 87.8 %.   Figure 13 shows that other factors inside [Card.oth] comply the variation in MyCD.

Discussion
The aim of this study was to clarify associations of selected fertilization factors, sugar consumption and silage production with mortality groups, with special interest on MyCD.(35_64), MyCD. (65_74) and [Card.oth]. . The effects of fertilization are not separated from food or feed factors, the changes are assessed as independent phenomena. The main observations are in the figures. This study shows that the decline in the mortality from other subtypes of CVD was higher than from CHD in 1971-1990 ( Figures 5-8 (Figure 14). This difference between R squares can obviously be explained by different number of cases in the groups (Table 1). Figure 13 shows better than Figure 14. the augmentative role of CaMgNPK (to P/Mg) in MyCD regression. The longer stagnation since 1982-84 in Non-CVD [5] than in Non-CHD [3], in working age, can be explained by rather co-incidental stagnation in [Card.oth], CbrVasc and [Vasc.oth], which are included in Non-CHD, but not included in Non-CVD ( Figure 6 & Figure 8). These changes were obviously more dynamic and could have responded faster to the environmental changes than CHD or the main Non-CVD group. Maybe linear regression was not the best method for comparing associations in [5]. Different changes in mortality of CVD subtypes are not satisfactorily explained. Maybe they are possible to be explained by changes in availability of the mineral elements and principles represented in [3][4][5] including dualistic action of renin-angiotensinadrenergic system [3]. Importance of harms of excess phosphorus has been supported by Varo and Koivistoinen [7] and Nuoranne [15]: "The amount of phosphorus may be slightly excessive in the average Finnish (human) diet" (in the 1970's), when it was 4.5 (2/0.44) (g) [7]. On the other side pig diet, in which P/Mg ratio was 5.3 (5.3/1.0) and which contained Mg more than twice that recommended by international norms, has been reported to produce Mg-deficiency symptoms, which could be prohibited by Mg supplementation [15]. Since 1971 P/Mg ratio has been strongly reduced in fertilization (Figure 2), suggesting on P/Mg reduction in food, even more than calculated with aid of food composition tables from earlier decades.
Stagnation in the reduction of the fatal respiratory and digestive diseases in the 1980's [5,11] suggests on deficiency in "resistance against biotic and a biotic stress", a known silicon (Si) effect in plants [16]. Some protective abilities of Si in humans and animals have been observed [17] and suggested [18]. Si content of Finnish wheat in the 1970's was < 0.1 g/kg [19], but in Australia 10 x higher (0.5-5 g/kg) [20]. The difference can be explained by climatological and soil factors, but possibly by different amounts of fertilizers, too. Through increasing soil pH, liming agents can reduce Si liberation for plants [21]. Possibly Si could explain a part of mortality changes during Non-CVD epidemic as well as the small change in P/Mg ratio ( Figure 2). Mg can help in cellular protection: Normal plasma Mg -in contrary to hypomagnesemia (P-Mg 0.48 mmol Mg/L) -has protected cardiac muscle against ATP reduction, lipid peroxidation and LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) release during affection by reactive oxygen species [22]. So, the ability of liming agents (CO3) to fix Mg to insoluble form [23] could cause even some harms, although Mg.fm was increasing to the first half of 1980's [5]. Big amounts of fertilizers could have caused leaching of Si and some microelements, too.
Silage effects on milk and milk fat quality: The lipid fraction in leaves of herbs and grasses ranges from 30 -100 g kg-1 [24]. During hay harvesting hay fat is soft, iodine number ca 100, but the soft fats turns soon in dry hay into resin and lose their butter fat softening effects. Iodine number in milk fat can vary from 25 to 50, but target is 32 -37 [25]. Nobelist AI Virtanen (AIV) developed his rapid silage preservation method ("AIV method") in the 1920's, but first at the end of the 1960's new machinery (field chopper) increased silage utilization. Abundant feeding of AIV silage was found to increase iodine number, as well as carotene, vitamin A and E content in milk and produced butter, which resembled nearly summer butter [26]. These changes in fodder quality obviously changed respectively the quality of dairy products and could explain a part of the MyCD and [Card.oth] mortality reduction. Obviously Se status of humans had been increasing before the mid 1970's, because at that time Se content of pork was about 4-fold to other meat products and egg yolk 100-fold to milk [19].
Surprisingly rapid decline in MyCD 1969-74 could possibly to be explained by changes in diagnostic methods and in social insurance (legislation on social security occurred mainly in the last half of the 1960's and at the beginning of the 1970's) [27].

Conclusion
Fertilization parameters, sugar consumption and silage production explained changes in MyCD and [Card.oth]. (15_64) by