Table 2.
Relative risk (95% CI) of cataract according to quintiles of dietary intake of nutrients in the Women’s Health Study.
| Quintile of Intake | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1* | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | p-trend | |
| alpha-carotene (:g) | ||||||
| Median intake | 197 | 427 | 638 | 953 | 1,708 | |
| Cases of cataract | 374 | 384 | 404 | 377 | 492 | |
| N | 7,111 | 7,110 | 7,110 | 7,110 | 7,110 | |
| Age- and treatment-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 0.88 (0.76-1.01) | 0.90 (0.78-1.04) | 0.79 (0.68-0.91) | 0.94 (0.82-1.07) | 0.74 |
| Multivariate-adjusted risk RR † | 1.00 | 0.90 (0.78-1.04) | 0.92 (0.80-1.06) | 0.82 (0.70-0.94) | 0.96 (0.84-1.11) | 0.98 |
| beta-carotene (:g) | ||||||
| With supplements | ||||||
| Median intake | 1,894 | 3,039 | 4,052 | 5,415 | 8,256 | |
| Cases of cataract | 369 | 388 | 364 | 444 | 466 | |
| N | 7,111 | 7,110 | 7,110 | 7,110 | 7,110 | |
| Age- and treatment-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 0.95 (0.82-1.09) | 0.80 (0.69-0.92) | 0.93 (0.81-1.07) | 0.85 (0.74-0.98) | 0.07 |
| Multivariate-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 0.97 (0.84-1.12) | 0.82 (0.71-0.95) | 0.97 (0.84-1.12) | 0.87 (0.75-1.00) | 0.11 |
| No supplements | ||||||
| Median intake | 1,790 | 2,857 | 3,793 | 5,007 | 7,550 | |
| Cases of cataract | 379 | 365 | 384 | 417 | 486 | |
| N | 7,111 | 7,110 | 7,110 | 7,110 | 7,110 | |
| Age- and treatment-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 0.87 (0.75-1.01) | 0.84 (0.73-0.97) | 0.83 (0.72-0.96) | 0.88 (0.77-1.01) | 0.21 |
| Multivariate-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 0.88 (0.76-1.02) | 0.87 (0.75-1.01) | 0.87 (0.75-1.00) | 0.89 (0.77-1.02) | 0.27 |
| beta-cryptoxanthin (:g) | ||||||
| Median intake | 10 | 30 | 50 | 80 | 146 | |
| Cases of cataract | 355 | 374 | 408 | 445 | 449 | |
| N | 7,113 | 7,112 | 7,107 | 7,109 | 7,110 | |
| Age- and treatment-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 1.00 (0.87-1.16) | 0.97 (0.84-1.12) | 1.00 (0.87-1.15) | 0.88 (0.76-1.01) | 0.04 |
| Multivariate-adjusted risk RR | 1.00 | 1.01 (0.87-1.17) | 1.01 (0.87-1.16) | 1.05 (0.91-1.21) | 0.92 (0.80-1.06) | 0.19 |
| Lycopene (:g) | ||||||
| Median intake | 3,342 | 5,439 | 7,694 | 10,843 | 16,765 | |
| Cases of cataract | 428 | 381 | 427 | 410 | 385 | |
| N | 7,111 | 7,110 | 7,110 | 7,110 | 7,110 | |
| Age- and treatment-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 0.95 (0.83-1.09) | 1.04 (0.91-1.18) | 0.98 (0.85-1.12) | 0.98 (0.85-1.12) | 0.84 |
| Multivariate-adjusted risk RR | 1.00 | 0.94 (0.82-1.08) | 1.04 (0.91-1.19) | 0.98 (0.86-1.13) | 0.96 (0.84-1.11) | 0.77 |
| Lutein/Zeaxanthin (:g) | ||||||
| Median intake | 1,177 | 2,162 | 3,070 | 4,245 | 6,716 | |
| Cases of cataract | 429 | 358 | 438 | 393 | 413 | |
| N | 7,111 | 7,110 | 7,110 | 7,110 | 7,110 | |
| Age- and treatment-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 0.77 (0.67-0.89) | 0.91 (0.79-1.04) | 0.78 (0.68-0.89) | 0.82 (0.72-0.94) | 0.03 |
| Multivariate-adjusted risk RR | 1.00 | 0.77 (0.67-0.89) | 0.92 (0.80-1.05) | 0.79 (0.69-0.91) | 0.82 (0.71-0.95) | 0.045 |
| Vitamin E (mg) | ||||||
| With supplements | ||||||
| Median intake | 4.4 | 5.6 | 7.3 | 23.0 | 262.4 | |
| Cases of cataract | 374 | 376 | 463 | 439 | 379 | |
| N | 7,143 | 7,118 | 7,070 | 7,110 | 7,110 | |
| Age- and treatment-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 0.90 (0.78-1.04) | 0.98 (0.85-1.12) | 0.96 (0.84-1.10) | 0.84 (0.73-0.97) | 0.02 |
| Multivariate-adjusted risk RR | 1.00 | 0.92 (0.80-1.07) | 0.99 (0.86-1.14) | 1.00 (0.87-1.15) | 0.86 (0.74-1.00) | 0.03 |
| No supplements | ||||||
| Median intake | 4.3 | 5.1 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 8.4 | |
| Cases of cataract | 369 | 354 | 405 | 435 | 468 | |
| N | 7,171 | 7,167 | 7,002 | 7,129 | 7,082 | |
| Age- and treatment-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 0.88 (0.76-1.02) | 0.94 (0.81-1.08) | 0.91 (0.79-1.04) | 0.89 (0.78-1.03) | 0.25 |
| Multivariate-adjusted risk RR | 1.00 | 0.91 (0.78-1.05) | 0.97 (0.84-1.12) | 0.92 (0.80-1.06) | 0.92 (0.80-1.06) | 0.39 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | ||||||
| With supplements | ||||||
| Median intake | 83 | 127 | 166 | 220 | 439 | |
| Cases of cataract | 337 | 364 | 409 | 473 | 448 | |
| N | 7,112 | 7,110 | 7,109 | 7,110 | 7,110 | |
| Age- and treatment-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 0.94 (0.81-1.08) | 0.92 (0.80-1.07) | 0.96 (0.84-1.11) | 0.90 (0.78-1.04) | 0.24 |
| Multivariate-adjusted risk RR | 1.00 | 0.97 (0.84-1.13) | 0.97 (0.84-1.13) | 1.01 (0.87-1.17) | 0.94 (0.81-1.09) | 0.39 |
| No supplements | ||||||
| Median intake | 76 | 109 | 137 | 169 | 225 | |
| Cases of cataract | 328 | 396 | 380 | 432 | 495 | |
| N | 7,111 | 7,111 | 7,112 | 7,110 | 7,107 | |
| Age- and treatment-adjusted RR | 1.00 | 1.06 (0.91-1.23) | 0.92 (0.79-1.07) | 0.93 (0.80-1.07) | 0.96 (0.83-1.11) | 0.28 |
| Multivariate-adjusted risk RR | 1.00 | 1.09 (0.94-1.26) | 0.96 (0.82-1.11) | 0.98 (0.84-1.13) | 1.00 (0.86-1.16) | 0.61 |
Footnotes
Abbreviations: RR, relative risk (95% confidence intervals in parentheses).
Reference category
Adjusted for age, randomized treatment assignment, smoking (current, past, never), alcohol use (rarely/never, 1-3 drinks/month, 1-6 drinks/week, and ∃1 drinks/day), BMI (continuous), exercise (rarely/never, <1 time/week, 1-3 times/week, and ∃4 times/week), postmenopausal hormone use (never, past, current), history of hypertension (ever diagnosis by physician or selfreported blood pressure ∃ 140/90; yes or no), history of hypercholesterolemia (baseline history of cholesterol-medication use or a physician diagnosis of high cholesterol or a self-reported cholesterol of at least 240 mg/dL; yes or no), history of diabetes (yes or no), family history of myocardial infarction before the age of 60 (yes or no), history of eye exam in the last 2 years.