Dietary Vitamin C and β-Carotene and Risk of Death in Middle-aged Men

Abstract

In the Western Electric Company Study, carried out in Chicago, Illinois, data on diet and other factors were obtained in 1958 and 1959 for a cohort of 1,556 employed, middle-aged men. Nutrients included vitamin C and beta-carotene. An index that summarized combined intake of both nutrients was constructed. Mean intakes of vitamin C in the lowest and highest tertiles of the index were 66 and 138 mg/day; corresponding values for beta-carotene were 2.3 and 5.3 mg/day. A total of 522 of 1,556 men died during 32,935 person-years of follow-up, 231 from coronary heart disease and 155 from cancer. After adjustment for potentially confounding factors, relative risks (95% confidence intervals) associated with an increment of 19 points in the index (difference between means of the lowest and highest tertiles) were 0.60 (0.39-0.93) for cancer mortality, 0.70 (0.49-0.98) for coronary disease mortality, and 0.69 (0.55-0.87) for all-cause mortality. These results support the hypothesis that consumption of foods rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene reduces risk of death in middle-aged men.

all- Trans -Retinoic Acid Reduces Neointimal Formation and Promotes Favorable Geometric Remodeling of the Rat Carotid Artery After Balloon Withdrawal Injury

“…Early observational studies suggested that ␤-carotene offered some protection against coronary heart disease. 35,36 In addition, experimental atherosclerosis was shown to be significantly reduced in cholesterol-fed rabbits receiving ␤-carotene supplementation. 37 Subsequently, however, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials showed either no effect or increased coronary heart disease mortality in patients taking supplemental ␤-carotene.…”

Trends in fruit and vegetable consumption among adults in 16 US states: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 1990-1996

“…All of these principles are critical to the successful achievement of behavior change. 2,3 In addition, the instrument was developed to be self-administered by people not necessarily familiar with computers and to be relatively brief.…”

“…Because fruit and vegetable consumption may prevent cancer and other chronic diseases, [1][2][3][4][5] the US Department of Health and Human Services established daily consumption of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (5-A-Day) as a national health goal in 1990. In 1991, the National Cancer Institute adopted the 5-A-Day campaign as a national 10-year initiative.…”

Production, characterization and optimization of fermented tomato and carrot juices by using Lysinibacillus sphaericus isolate

“…kind of the population [7]. Regular consumption of tomatoes has been associated with a reduced risk of various types of cancer [8] and heart deseases [9]. Positive effects are mainly attributed to the presence of antioxidants, especially carotenoids, flavonoids, lycopene and beta-carotene.…”