Dietary carotenoid intake and risk of developing preeclampsia: a hospital-based case–control study

Abstract

Background The effect of carotenoids on the risk of preeclampsia (PE) is uncertain. We aimed to examine the associations between the intake of dietary carotenoids and related compounds by pregnant women in China, and the risk of their developing PE. Methods Four hundred and forty PE cases and 440 age- (± 3 years), gestational age- (± 1 weeks) and gestational diabetes mellitus status- (yes/no) matched healthy controls were recruited from March 2016 to June 2019. Dietary intake of carotenoids was assessed using a 79-item validated food-frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Results After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that the intake of total carotenoids, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and lutein and zeaxanthin (lut-zea) were negatively associated with the odds of developing PE. Compared with the lowest quartile intake, the multivariate-adjusted OR (95% CI) of the highest quartile intake was 0.29 (0.16–0.54, Ptrend < 0.001) for total carotenoids, 0.31 (0.16–0.58, Ptrend < 0.001) for β-carotene, 0.50 (0.27–0.90, Ptrend = 0.007) for β-cryptoxanthin, 0.55 (0.30–0.99, Ptrend = 0.04) for lycopene and 0.32 (0.17–0.61, Ptrend = 0.001) for lut-zea. However, no significant associations were observed between the risk of developing PE and α-carotene intake (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.41–1.36, Ptrend = 0.28). Moreover, similar negative associations were found for every one-standard-deviation increase in the intake of total carotenoids, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lut-zea. Conclusion These results indicate that a high intake of total carotenoids, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lut-zea may be associated with a low risk of developing PE.

Lycopene: A Potent Antioxidant with Multiple Health Benefits

“…Generally, it is asserted that lycopene can be used as a safe dietary supplement during pregnancy and lactation [ 234 ]. Although in pregnant women, high dietary intake of lycopene has shown to mitigate the risk of developing preeclampsia [ 235 ]. Imran et al [ 7 ] reported that excessive chronic consumption of tomato juice, a rich source of lycopene, caused lycopenemia.…”

Dietary intake and serum concentrations of vitamin A and vitamin E and pre-eclampsia risk in Chinese pregnant women: A matched case-control study

“…Some studies have shown that VA and VE supplementation during pregnancy can protect against PE (18)(19)(20)(21). Our previous studies have found that dietary carotenoid intake is associated with PE risk (22). In contrast, some studies have suggested that there is no association between the risk of gestational hypertensive disorders and dietary VE intake (23).…”