title: Relationship between dietary macronutrient intake and the risk of age-related cataract in middle-aged and elderly patients in northeast China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between dietary macronutrient intake and the risk of age-related cataract (ARC) in middle-aged and elderly men.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hospital-based case-control study was conducted from December 2009 to November 2011. Cases (n=360) were patients with cataract aged 45-85 years old, and controls (n=360) were patients who had been admitted to the same hospital for diseases not related with cataract. All subjects were interviewed using a structured interviewer-administrated questionnaire that included information on socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits and detailed medical history, simultaneously, the dietary intakes of nutrients were collected via a valid semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) of three types of ARC were estimated using multiple logistic regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjusting for multiple potential confounders, total dietary intake of carbohydrate was positively associated with cortical cataract, compared to controls in the lowest quartile, and the OR for cases in the highest quartile of intake was 2.471 (95%CI: 1.348-6.043, P=0.027). Higher dietary intakes of protein were protective for posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) (OR=0.528, 95%CI: 0.148-0.869, P=0.023). Dietary fat intake was not associated with any type of cataract, however, participants in the highest quartile of polyunsaturated fatty acids intake had 2.7 times the risk of nuclear cataract as did those in the lowest quartile (OR=2.742, 95%CI: 1.790-4.200, P=0.033).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high intake of carbohydrate and polyunsaturated fatty acid may increase the odds of cortical and nuclear cataract, respectively, whereas high intake of protein, especially animal protein, may protect against PSC cataract. It is possible that dietary changes of target population may reduce the risk of ARC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Liaoning Medical University, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Quan
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Liaoning Medical University, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Liaoning Medical University, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Hui
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Liaoning Medical University, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Teng-Xuan
authors.initials: TX
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Liaoning Medical University, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Shu-Na
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Liaoning Medical University, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning Medical University, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Guang-Dong
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Gao
keywords: age-related cataract; carbohydrate; polyunsaturated fatty acid; protein