Vitamin A and Carotenoids and the Risk of Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Vitamin A and carotenoids are involved in signalling pathways regulating gene expression in many organs, including the brain. The dopaminergic system is a target of retinoic acid action in the central nervous system. The aim of this review is to assess the epidemiological evidence on the association between blood levels or dietary intakes of vitamin A and carotenoids and risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: PubMed and ISI Web of Science were searched for relevant papers from 1990 to April 2013. Data reported in epidemiological studies assessing the association between vitamin A and/or carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, lycopene, zeaxanthin and canthaxanthin) and PD were extracted for a narrative synthesis and meta-analysis. Results: Thirteen papers were included out of a total of 362 potentially relevant; of these, eight contributed to the meta-analysis. No statistically significant pooled estimate between micronutrient and PD was detected. Forest plots suggest possible non-significant inverse pooled estimates of α-carotene and β-carotene and risk of PD. A significant association between lutein intake and PD risk was detected in case-control studies only. Conclusions: Data published to date are insufficient for drawing definite conclusions about the epidemiological evidence on the association between blood levels or dietary intakes of vitamin A and carotenoids and the risk of PD. Results should be interpreted particularly cautiously given the limitation of the present meta-analysis and the potential publication bias. Authors are urged to follow more closely the recommendations for reporting epidemiological studies in order to enhance the capacity for synthesising the evidence.

Dietary antioxidants and risk of Parkinson's disease in two population‐based cohorts

“…In addition, the same meta‐analysis reported no protective effect associated with vitamin C or ß‐carotene, whereas we found that dietary ß‐carotene intake was associated with lower PD risk in both women and men. Interestingly, another recent meta‐analysis reported an inverse, but nonsignificant, association between dietary intake of ß‐carotene and PD risk …”

“…Interestingly, another recent meta-analysis reported an inverse, but nonsignificant, association between dietary intake of ß-carotene and PD risk. 26 To the best of our knowledge, this is the first prospective study examining the association between dietary TAC and PD risk. The null finding between dietary TAC and PD risk might be attributed to a relatively low correlation between self-reported dietary TAC and plasma ORAC values.…”

Fucoxanthin increases lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans

“…It was shown that fucoxanthin can protect neuronal cells from neurotoxic mediators released by microglia [24]. The possible role of β-carotene in prevention of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease is also discussed [25,26].…”

An Overview of Carotenoids, Apocarotenoids, and Vitamin A in Agro‐Food, Nutrition, Health, and Disease

“…Recently, there is increasing interest in understanding the possible beneficial effects of carotenoids during pregnancy and early life . In addition, there are studies in which possible association of carotenoids with the risk of developing diseases of diverse nature such as respiratory diseases and Parkinson's have been evaluated …”