title: Low serum carotenoids and development of severe walking disability among older women living in the community: the women's health and aging study I.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to determine whether low serum carotenoid levels, an indicator of low intake of fruits and vegetables, are associated with the progression of disability in older women.
  
  
  METHODS
  longitudinal analysis in a population-based cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  moderately-severely disabled women, >or=65 years, living in the community in Baltimore, Maryland (the Women's Health and Aging Study I).
  
  
  METHODS
  554 women without severe walking disability (inability to walk or walking speed <0.4 m/s) at baseline.
  
  
  METHODS
  incidence of severe walking disability assessed every 6 months over 3 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  155 women (27.9%) developed severe walking disability during follow-up. Rates of development of severe walking disability per 100 person-years among women in the lowest and in the three upper quartiles of total carotenoids were, respectively, 13.8 versus 10.9 (P=0.0017). Adjusting for confounders, women in the lowest quartile of total carotenoids were more likely to develop severe walking disability (hazards ratio 1.57, 95% confidence interval 1.24-2.00, P=0.0002) compared with women in the three upper quartiles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  low serum carotenoid levels, an indicator of low intake of fruits and vegetables, are independent predictors of the progression towards severe walking disability among older women living in the community.
authors.affiliation: The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA. rdsemba@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Semba
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Varadhan
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bartali
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.forename: Michelle O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ricks
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blaum
authors.forename: Linda P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Fried
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D015142:Baltimore; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014675:Vegetables; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D002338:Carotenoids