Abstract | BACKGROUND: In Western countries, many epidemiological studies have demonstrated that specific dietary nutrients are associated with the risk of developing age-related cataracts. These reports have suggested that dietary antioxidant vitamins, in particular vitamin C, can play a role in preventing the onset or progression of age-related visual impairment. However, few prospective studies have examined this relationship in a general Asian population. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether dietary vitamin C was associated with a lower incidence of age-related cataracts by performing a 5-year prospective population-based analysis using data from a cohort of over 30,000 Japanese residents recruited to the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study (JPHC Study) cohort I. AIM OF THE STUDY: We carried out a prospective analysis of the association between vitamin C intake and age-related cataracts among middle-aged Japanese, to study the effects of dietary antioxidants in an Asian population. METHODS: This 5-year population-based study included 16,415 men and 18,771 women (aged 45-64 years), who were recruited onto the JPHC Study and had not reported cataracts in baseline surveys. Vitamin C was calculated from the nutrient intake assessed by self-administered food-frequency questionnaires (FFQ). Self-reported questionnaires were used to assess two endpoints: diagnosis or extraction of cataracts. RESULTS: At follow-up, 216 men and 551 women reported new diagnoses, and 110 men and 187 women reported extractions of cataracts. For both endpoints, a higher vitamin C intake was associated with a reduced incidence of cataracts in both sexes. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the multivariate odds ratios ( ORs) for men and women in the highest quintiles of energy-adjusted vitamin C intake, relative to the lowest quintiles, were 0.65 (95% CI, 0.42-0.97) and 0.59 (95% CI, 0.43-0.89) for cataract diagnoses, and 0.70 (95% CI, 0.44-1.20) and 0.64 (95% CI, 0.41-0.94) for cataract extractions, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary vitamin C intake might lower the risk of age-related cataracts among middle-aged Japanese.
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Authors | Masao Yoshida, Yutaka Takashima, Manami Inoue, Motoki Iwasaki, Tetsuya Otani, Satoshi Sasaki, Shoichiro Tsugane, JPHC Study Group |
Journal | European journal of nutrition
(Eur J Nutr)
Vol. 46
Issue 2
Pg. 118-24
(Mar 2007)
ISSN: 1436-6207 [Print] Germany |
PMID | 17265171
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
- Antioxidants
- Ascorbic Acid
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Topics |
- Aging
- Antioxidants
(administration & dosage, analysis)
- Ascorbic Acid
(administration & dosage, analysis)
- Cataract
(epidemiology, prevention & control)
- Cataract Extraction
- Cohort Studies
- Diet
- Diet Surveys
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Female
- Humans
- Japan
(epidemiology)
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Multivariate Analysis
- Odds Ratio
- Prevalence
- Prospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Surveys and Questionnaires
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