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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Nutr Res. 2011 Mar;31(3):178–189. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2011.03.003

Table 3.

Rate Ratios of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality by Individual Carotenoid Quartiles, Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–19941

Quartile 1 Quartile 2 Quartile 3 Quartile 4 P2
Alpha-Carotene (<0.05 µmol/L)3 (0.05–0.07 µmol/L) (0.08–0.11 µmol/L) (>0.11 µmol/L)
    All-Cause Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 2.20 1.90—2.56 1.46 1.24—1.72 1.19 1.02—1.38 1.00 Reference <0.001
       Partially Adjusted4 1.49 1.25—1.78 1.21 1.01—1.45 1.12 0.96—1.31 1.00 Reference <0.001
       Fully Adjusted5 1.46 1.22—1.75 1.15 0.96—1.39 1.10 0.94—1.29 1.00 Reference <0.001
    CVD Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 2.08 1.65—2.60 1.38 1.12—1.71 1.20 0.91—1.56 1.00 Reference <0.001
       Partially Adjusted4 1.76 1.33—2.34 1.31 1.03—1.67 1.21 0.90—1.61 1.00 Reference 0.002
       Fully Adjusted5 1.77 1.31—2.38 1.30 1.01—1.69 1.22 0.90—1.64 1.00 Reference 0.002
    Cancer Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 2.27 1.70—3.02 1.48 1.04—2.11 1.09 0.84—1.42 1.00 Reference <0.001
       Partially Adjusted4 1.57 1.05—2.34 1.16 0.79—1.71 0.96 0.72—1.28 1.00 Reference 0.10
       Fully Adjusted5 1.51 0.96—2.36 1.11 0.73—1.70 0.92 0.66—1.29 1.00 Reference 0.10
Beta-Carotene (<0.18 µmol/L)3 (0.18–0.28 µmol/L) (0.29–0.45 µmol/L) (>0.45 µmol/L)
    All-Cause Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.81 1.56—2.10 1.29 1.08—1.54 1.11 0.97—1.27 1.00 Reference <0.001
       Partially Adjusted4 0.95 0.77—1.16 0.88 0.73—1.07 0.89 0.77—1.03 1.00 Reference 0.43
       Fully Adjusted5 0.90 0.74—1.11 0.90 0.75—1.08 0.91 0.79—1.06 1.00 Reference 0.58
    CVD Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.48 1.16—1.88 1.11 0.84—1.46 1.00 0.84—1.18 1.00 Reference 0.006
       Partially Adjusted4 0.70 0.49—1.01 0.71 0.52—0.97 0.76 0.60—0.95 1.00 Reference 0.11
       Fully Adjusted5 0.65 0.46—0.91 0.72 0.54—0.95 0.79 0.63—0.997 1.00 Reference 0.07
    Cancer Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.76 1.30—2.38 1.44 1.001—2.08 1.25 0.94—1.66 1.00 Reference 0.005
       Partially Adjusted4 0.88 0.58—1.33 0.95 0.64—1.40 1.00 0.74—1.37 1.00 Reference 0.92
      Fully Adjusted5 0.86 0.56—1.30 0.96 0.64—1.42 0.99 0.73—1.34 1.00 Reference 0.89
Beta-Cryptoxanthin (<0.10 µmol/L)3 (0.10–0.13 µmol/L) (0.14–0.20 µmol/L) (>0.20 µmol/L)
    All-Cause Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.81 1.54—2.13 1.43 1.23—1.66 1.19 0.99—1.41 1.00 Reference <0.001
       Partially Adjusted4 1.11 0.91—1.36 1.14 0.95—1.38 1.06 0.89—1.25 1.00 Reference 0.58
       Fully Adjusted5 1.15 0.95—1.38 1.15 0.96—1.38 1.04 0.88—1.23 1.00 Reference 0.44
    CVD Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.58 1.29—1.93 1.41 1.15—1.73 1.08 0.87—1.36 1.00 Reference <0.001
       Partially Adjusted4 1.09 0.83—1.44 1.20 0.92—1.55 1.01 0.82—1.24 1.00 Reference 0.60
      Fully Adjusted5 1.15 0.87—1.51 1.20 0.94—1.54 0.99 0.80—1.22 1.00 Reference 0.48
    Cancer Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.97 1.45—2.69 1.56 1.10—2.22 1.34 0.95—1.89 1.00 Reference <0.001
       Partially Adjusted4 1.27 0.87—1.84 1.25 0.84—1.86 1.17 0.81—1.68 1.00 Reference 0.63
       Fully Adjusted5 1.28 0.87—1.89 1.25 0.84—1.86 1.17 0.81—1.68 1.00 Reference 0.61
Lycopene (<0.29 µmol/L)3 (0.29–0.43 µmol/L) (0.44–0.58 µmol/L) (>0.58 µmol/L)
    All-Cause Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.33 1.11—1.60 0.92 0.76—1.12 0.88 0.71—1.09 1.00 Reference <0.001
       Partially Adjusted4 1.05 0.87—1.26 0.83 0.68—1.02 0.86 0.70—1.07 1.00 Reference 0.02
       Fully Adjusted5 1.02 0.83—1.25 0.82 0.67—1.02 0.84 0.66—1.07 1.00 Reference 0.047
    CVD Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.06 0.80—1.41 0.73 0.52—1.04 0.90 0.65—1.23 1.00 Reference 0.04
       Partially Adjusted4 0.92 0.68—1.25 0.71 0.50—1.01 0.92 0.67—1.27 1.00 Reference 0.16
       Fully Adjusted5 1.00 0.73—1.36 0.74 0.52—1.06 0.93 0.67—1.28 1.00 Reference 0.20
    Cancer Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.17 0.85—1.62 0.98 0.72—1.33 0.63 0.38—1.04 1.00 Reference 0.04
       Partially Adjusted4 0.93 0.66—1.32 0.90 0.65—1.23 0.61 0.37—1.01 1.00 Reference 0.22
       Fully Adjusted5 0.88 0.61—1.27 0.85 0.62—1.16 0.60 0.36—0.997 1.00 Reference 0.22
Lutein+Zeaxanthin (<0.26 µmol/L)3 (0.26–0.33 µmol/L) (0.34–0.46 µmol/L) (>0.46 µmol/L)
    All-Cause Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.60 1.38—1.86 1.29 1.11—1.50 1.09 0.93—1.27 1.00 Reference <0.001
       Partially Adjusted4 1.08 0.90—1.31 1.07 0.91—1.25 0.99 0.84—1.16 1.00 Reference 0.60
       Fully Adjusted5 1.07 0.89—1.29 1.02 0.86—1.20 0.98 0.84—1.15 1.00 Reference 0.79
    CVD Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.48 1.20—1.82 1.08 0.86—1.34 1.10 0.90—1.35 1.00 Reference 0.004
       Partially Adjusted4 1.10 0.84—1.43 0.94 0.73—1.21 1.02 0.82—1.28 1.00 Reference 0.62
       Fully Adjusted5 1.14 0.89—1.47 0.92 0.72—1.18 1.04 0.84—1.28 1.00 Reference 0.44
    Cancer Mortality
       Age- and Sex- Adjusted 1.48 1.13—1.92 1.48 1.13—1.96 1.03 0.71—1.48 1.00 Reference <0.001
       Partially Adjusted4 0.96 0.69—1.32 1.19 0.87—1.62 0.89 0.61—1.30 1.00 Reference 0.09
       Fully Adjusted5 0.90 0.63—1.29 1.13 0.82—1.56 0.89 0.60—1.30 1.00 Reference 0.21
1

Data are given as mortality rate ratio with 95% confidence interval

2

Based on testing the null hypothesis that all four quartiles have equal mortality rates using survey-weighted Cox models [31]

3

To convert from SI units (µmol/L) to metric (µg/L) divide SI carotenoid concentrations by the following conversion factors: alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lycopene = 0.001863; beta-cryptoxanthin= 0.001809; lutein+zeaxanthin = 0.001758.

4

Adjusted for demographics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, education), lifestyle behaviors (alcohol consumption, smoking status, multivitamin/multimineral use, physical activity), body mass index and other individual carotenoids

5

Additionally adjusted for biomarkers (diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, C-reactive protein), use of blood pressure medication, use of cholesterol-lowering medication, and comorbidities (congestive heart failure, cancer, diabetes, emphysema, stroke)