title: Macular pigment and percentage of body fat.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between percentage of body fat and macular pigment (MP) optical density.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred healthy subjects of ages between 22 and 60 years volunteered to participate in this study. MP optical density was measured psychophysically, serum lutein and zeaxanthin were quantified by HPLC, and dietary intake of lutein and zeaxanthin was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Body fat was measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA); body mass index (BMI) was also calculated for each subject. Clinical and personal details were recorded, with particular attention directed toward putative risk factors for AMD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant inverse relationship between the percentage of body fat and MP optical density in males (r=-0.392, P <0.01), and after correcting for age and dietary lutein and zeaxanthin, this inverse relationship remained significant (r=-0.290, P <0.05). The relationship between MP optical density and percentage of body fat in females was inverse, but not significant (r=-0.197, P=0.149). A significant and inverse relationship between serum zeaxanthin and percentage of body fat was observed for females only (r=-0.354, P <0.01). Dietary intake of fat was inversely related to serum lutein and zeaxanthin, and significantly so for lutein (r=-0.256, P <0.05). However, dietary fat was unrelated to MP optical density (r=0.041, P=0.688).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A relative lack of MP is associated with adiposity in men, and may underlie the association between body fat and risk for AMD progression in males. Further, the processes governing accumulation and/or stabilization of lutein and zeaxanthin in fat tissue appear to differ for males and females.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Life Sciences, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, Ireland. jnolan@wit.ie
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.forename: Orla
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: O'Donovan
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kavanagh
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stack
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Annalouise
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muldoon
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mellerio
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beatty
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005425:Flicker Fusion; D006801:Humans; D014975:Lutein / Q000097:blood; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010783:Photometry; D012168:Retinal Pigments / Q000378:metabolism*; D024341:Xanthophylls; D065146:Zeaxanthins; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D012168:Retinal Pigments; D024341:Xanthophylls; D065146:Zeaxanthins; D019207:beta Carotene; D014975:Lutein