β-Carotene Supplementation and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

β-carotene is widely available in plant-based foods, while the efficacy of β-carotene supplementation on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk remains controversial. Hence, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on randomized controlled trials to investigate the associations between β-carotene supplementation and CVD risk as well as mortality. We conducted literature searches across eight databases and screened the publications from January 1900 to March 2022 on the topic of β-carotene treatments and cardiovascular outcomes. There were 10 trials and 16 reports included in the meta-analysis with a total of 182,788 individuals enrolled in the study. Results from the random-effects models indicated that β-carotene supplementation slightly increased overall cardiovascular incidence (RR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.08) and was constantly associated with increased cardiovascular mortality (RR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.19). Subgroup analyses suggested that, when β-carotene treatments were given singly, a higher risk of cardiovascular outcomes was observed (RR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.12). In addition, cigarettes smoking was shown to be a risk behavior associated with increased cardiovascular incidence and mortality in the β-carotene intervention group. In sum, the evidence of this study demonstrated that β-carotene supplementation had no beneficial effects on CVD incidence and potential harmful effects on CVD mortality. Further studies on understanding the efficacy of multivitamin supplementation in nutrient-deficient or sub-optimal populations are important for developing the tolerable upper intake level for β-carotene of different age and sex groups.

A nutrient-wide association study for the risk of cardiovascular disease in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

“…62-0.87), 29 while a meta-analysis of RCTs suggested that β-carotene supplementation slightly increased CVD risk (RR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.08). 30 In our study, the association between carotenoids and CVD was not verified in NHANES. This might be explained by the different dietary intake of Chinese and American populations.…”

Disease Prevention and Treatment Using β-Carotene: the Ultimate Provitamin A

“…Diet rich in β-carotene has been found to be preventive for heart-related problems (Yang et al 2022 ). The pigment is fat-soluble and is transported primarily in low-density lipoproteins (LDL).…”

Plasma proteome profiling reveals molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of daily consumption of ‘Bahia’ and ‘Cara Cara’ orange juices

“…hand, the benefits of carotenoid intake in reducing the risk of CVD are well known, but not when they are present in orange fruits or their products. 6,[45][46][47] Blond oranges usually contain xanthophylls (e.g., violaxanthin and zeaxanthin), but the presence of carotenes (e.g., lycopene and β-carotene) is an unusual feature in orange fruits. Brasili et al 25 identified 403.2 µg and 312.5 µg of xanthophylls in BOJ and CCOJ, respectively.…”