Diet and cataract: a case–control study

Abstract

We conducted a case-control study to assess the association between diet and risk of cataract in Athens, Greece. Totals of 314 cases and 314 frequency-matched controls of both sexes, aged 45-85 years and attending the ophthalmology department of a major teaching hospital in Athens, Greece, were included in the study. All participants were interviewed using a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire, covering the average frequency of consumption of about 120 food items. Analyses were conducted through multiple logistic regression. The analysis was carried out taking cataract as a general outcome (all types of cataract combined) and repeated by the specific type of cataract. We found significant inverse associations of cataract with dietary consumption of fish (OR = 0.69, p < 0.001), vegetables (OR = 0.47, p < 0.001), fruits (OR = 0.53, p < 0.001), and potatoes (OR = 0.76, p = 0.004), while consumption of meat was positively associated with cataract (OR = 1.46, p = 0.001). High intake of total fat (OR = 2.00, p < 0.001) and cholesterol (OR = 1.65, p < 0.001) increased the risk of cataract. There was a protective association between cataract risk and intake of carbohydrates (OR = 0.39, p < 0.001), carotene (OR = 0.56, p < 0.001), vitamins C and E (OR = 0.50, p < 0.001 and OR = 0.50, p < 0.001 respectively). We identified an association between the risk of cataract and several food groups and nutrients. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, pulses and starchy foods may protect against cataract. In addition, high intake of vitamins C and E and carotene with reduction of intake in total fat and cholesterol may be beneficial. Dietary advice along these lines may provide adequate public health guidelines for the delay of age-related cataract.

Vitamin E and risk of age-related cataract: a meta-analysis

“…Dietary vitamin E intake and risk of age-related cataract The association between dietary vitamin E intake and ARC risk was examined in eight articles (15)(16)(17)43,45,50,53,56) with eight studies including 15 021 participants and 2258 cases. The highest v. the lowest dietary vitamin E intake was statistically significantly associated with the risk of ARC (RR = 0·73; 95 % CI 0·58, 0·92; I 2 = 69·1 %; P heterogeneity = 0·002; Fig.…”

The Effect of a Mediterranean Diet on the Incidence of Cataract Surgery

“…Age, ultraviolet light exposure, smoking, and corticosteroid use are recognized risk factors associated with cataract formation [7,8]. Besides other risk factors such as abdominal obesity [9] and hormonal therapy [10], the production of proinflammatory components increases the levels of free oxygen radicals [11,12], which have been associated with an increasing risk of cataract.…”

The Association between Dietary Intake of Antioxidants and Ocular Disease

“…Although diets rich in antioxidants have been identified in several studies to reduce the incidence of oxidative stress-related eye diseases, various antioxidant supplement studies provided conflicting findings [6,7,8,9]. In contrast, the intake of other food groups such as meat and related micronutrients such as cholesterol has been identified in various studies to increase the risk of oxidative stress-related eye conditions [10,11,12,13]. The impact of dietary antioxidant intake on the risk of oxidative stress-related eye diseases has been examined previously [13], but typically the studies addressed the effect of antioxidant supplements or fruit and vegetables in isolation, rather than the total dietary intake [14].…”

“…With regards to CAT, the evaluation of the literature indicates a higher dietary consumption of fruit and vegetables and vitamin C (including supplementation) appears to be associated with the most consistent risk reduction [13,14]. Vitamin E dietary intake and supplementation was also consistent with risk reduction in the majority of studies; however, findings on vitamin E supplementation suggested no observed differences in the rate of cataract extraction and lens characteristics between groups [5].…”

“…Higher dietary intakes of meat conversely appeared to increase the risk of CAT. With regards to vitamin A, findings by Theodoropoulou and colleagues [13] identified a harmful association (OR = 1.47) with higher intakes of retinol and a protective association with carotene (OR = 0.56). However, it may be possible that the harmful association identified with retinol may be related to dietary meat intake as retinol is the form of vitamin A found in animal products such as liver, kidneys, and eggs, and dietary meat intake was further identified in this study to increase the risk of CAT (OR 1.46).…”