JAMA Ophthalmol 2013 Dec 26;[EPub Ahead of Print], S Rautiainen, BE Lindblad, R Morgenstern, A Wolk Research · January 06, 2014

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

• In this population-based, prospective cohort study of Swedish women, those who consumed the highest amounts of antioxidants through fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and coffee had a 12.8% lower risk of developing age-related cataracts than those who consumed the least amount. The association between high total antioxidant capacity and lower incidence of cataracts remained consistent across subgroups based on risk factors and sources of oxidative stress.
• “Although the population is restricted to middle aged and elderly Swedish women, the prospective design, high response rate, and excellent follow-up make this very valuable data for this homogeneous population.”

– Leonard Press, OD

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE

To our knowledge, no previous epidemiologic study has investigated the association between all antioxidants in the diet and age-related cataract. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) concept aims to measure the capacity from all antioxidants in the diet by also taking synergistic effects into account.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between the TAC of the diet and the incidence of age-related cataract in a population-based prospective cohort of middle-aged and elderly women.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Questionnaire-based nutrition survey within the prospective Swedish Mammography Cohort study, which included 30 607 women (aged 49-83 years) who were observed for age-related cataract incidence for a mean of 7.7 years. EXPOSURE The TAC of the diet was estimated using a database of foods analyzed with the oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Information on incident age-related cataract diagnosis and extraction was collected through linkage to registers in the study area.

RESULTS

There were 4309 incident cases of age-related cataracts during the mean 7.7 years of follow-up (234 371 person-years). The multivariable rate ratio in the highest quintile of the TAC of the diet compared with the lowest was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.79-0.96; P for trend = .03). The main contributors to dietary TAC in the study population were fruit and vegetables (44.3%), whole grains (17.0%), and coffee (15.1%).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Dietary TAC was inversely associated with the risk of age-related cataract. Future studies examining all antioxidants in the diet in relation to age-related cataract are needed to confirm or refute our findings.

JAMA ophthalmology
Total Antioxidant Capacity of the Diet and Risk of Age-Related Cataract: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort of Women

JAMA Ophthalmol 2013 Dec 26;[EPub Ahead of Print], S Rautiainen, BE Lindblad, R Morgenstern, A Wolk

Journal Reference:  http://archopht.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1793735