Prospective study of lutein/zeaxanthin intake and risk of age-related macular degeneration.
BACKGROUND
The association between lutein/zeaxanthin intake and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) risk may differ by smoking status, vitamin C and E intakes, and body fatness.


OBJECTIVE
The objective was to evaluate the association between lutein/zeaxanthin intake and AMD risk by smoking status, intake of antioxidant vitamins, and body fatness.


METHODS
We conducted a prospective follow-up study of 71 494 women and 41 564 men aged >or=50 y and had no diagnosis of AMD or cancer. Diet was assessed with a validated semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire.


RESULTS
During up to 18 y of follow-up, we documented 673 incident cases of early AMD and 442 incident cases of neovascular AMD with a visual loss of 20/30 or worse due primarily to AMD. Lutein/zeaxanthin intake was not associated with the risk of self-reported early AMD. There was a statistically nonsignificant and nonlinear inverse association between lutein/zeaxanthin intake and neovascular AMD risk; the pooled multivariate relative risks for increasing quintiles of intake were 1.00 (referent), 0.80, 0.84, 0.97, and 0.72 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.99) (P for trend = 0.14). For early AMD, the association with lutein/zeaxanthin intake did not vary by smoking status, intakes of vitamins C and E, or body mass index. For neovascular AMD, a nonlinear inverse association was found among never smokers.


CONCLUSIONS
These data do not support a protective role of lutein/zeaxanthin intake on risk of self-reported early AMD. The suggestion of inverse associations related to the risk of neovascular AMD needs to be examined further.
Department of Medicine, Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. eunyoung.cho@channing.harvard.edu
Eunyoung
E
Cho
Susan E
SE
Hankinson
Bernard
B
Rosner
Walter C
WC
Willett
Graham A
GA
Colditz
D000375:Aging; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D014975:Lutein; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012306:Risk; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D024341:Xanthophylls; D065146:Zeaxanthins
D024341:Xanthophylls; D065146:Zeaxanthins; D014975:Lutein