Table 4.
Associations of Cataract Type with Plasma Vitamin C and Other Antioxidants∥
| Blood Antioxidants | Any Nuclear Cataract | Any Cortical Cataract | Any PSC |
|---|---|---|---|
| OR (95% CI)⁎ | OR (95% CI)⁎ | OR (95% CI)⁎ | |
| Plasma vitamin C | |||
| Q1: All < 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Q2: 4.4 (3.1–5.7)† | 0.81 (0.65–1.01) | 0.88 (0.64–1.21) | 0.79 (0.62–1.02) |
| Q3: 12.7(9.9–16.2)† | 0.74 (0.60–0.92) | 0.71 (0.54–0.94) | 0.72 (0.54–0.94) |
| Q4: 38.4 (28.2–52.5)† | 0.66 (0.54–0.80) | 0.70 (0.54–0.90) | 0.58 (0.45–0.74) |
| P trend‡ | 0.0001 | 0.002 | 0.00003 |
| P interaction§ | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Retinol | |||
| Q1: 0.77 (0.61–0.87)† | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Q2: 1.12 (1.05–1.21)† | 0.65 (0.54–0.78) | 0.74 (0.53–1.05) | 0.62 (0.47–0.81) |
| Q3: 1.46 (1.37–1.56)† | 0.68 (0.55–0.84) | 0.70 (0.49–1.00) | 0.62 (0.46–0.83) |
| Q4: 1.98 (1.80–2.27)† | 0.69 (0.56–0.84) | 0.78 (0.55–1.10) | 0.65 (0.50–0.85) |
| P trend‡ | 0.04 | 0.2 | 0.01 |
| β-carotene | |||
| Q1: 0.06 (0.04–0.08)† | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Q2: 0.12 (0.10–0.13)† | 1.04 (0.84–1.28) | 0.95 (0.68–1.34) | 1.19 (0.92–1.53) |
| Q3: 0.19 (0.17–0.22)† | 1.03 (0.79–1.34) | 1.07 (0.73–1.55) | 1.07 (0.78–1.48) |
| Q4: 0.36 (0.29–0.47)† | 0.89 (0.74–1.07) | 0.87 (0.61–1.25) | 0.98 (0.70–1.37) |
| P trend‡ | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| α-tocopherol | |||
| Q1: 13.0 (11.1–14.4)† | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Q2: 18.0 (16.9–19.1)† | 0.89 (0.74–1.07) | 0.97 (0.72–1.32) | 0.89 (0.74–1.07) |
| Q3: 22.9 (21.5–24.7)† | 0.82 (0.66–1.00) | 0.74 (0.52–1.05) | 0.78 (0.60–1.03) |
| Q4: 32.3 (29.0–37.4)† | 0.80 (0.62–1.05) | 0.86 (0.57–1.32) | 0.74 (0.99–1.72) |
| P trend‡,∥ | 0.09 | 0.4 | 0.04 |
| Lutein | |||
| Q1: 0.125 (0.098–0.147)† | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Q2: 0.197 (0.181–0.217)† | 0.92 (0.75–1.12) | 1.29 (0.92–1.83) | 1.05 (0.81–1.37) |
| Q3: 0.281 (0.255–0.308)† | 0.82 (0.66–1.03) | 0.99 (0.70–1.42) | 0.91 (0.68–1.20) |
| Q4: 0.460 (0.393–0.586)† | 0.77 (0.60–1.01) | 1.06 (0.70–1.61) | 0.92 (0.68–1.26) |
| P trend† | 0.04 | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| Zeaxanthin | |||
| Q1: 0.021 (0.016–0.025)† | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Q2: 0.033 (0.030–0.036)† | 0.93 (0.71–1.22) | 1.17 (0.76–1.78) | 0.99 (0.74–1.32) |
| Q3: 0.045 (0.041–0.048)† | 0.97 (0.74–1.26) | 0.97 (0.64–1.48) | 1.03 (0.77–1.38) |
| Q4: 0.066 (0.058–0.080)† | 0.80 (0.60–1.06) | 0.86 (0.51–1.44) | 0.86 (0.63–1.16) |
| P trend‡ | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
CI = confidence interval; OR = odds ratio; PSC = posterior subcapsular cataract.
Adjusted for age, sex, study center, tobacco use, current fuels, body mass index, mid upper arm circumference, diastolic blood pressure, outdoor exposure, diabetes, socioeconomic status, and all other antioxidants in the table. Lutein and zeaxanthin in alternate models. Results for vitamin C, retinol, β-carotene, and α-tocopherol shown for models with lutein. Results (not shown) with zeaxanthin replacing lutein in model almost identical to result with lutein.
Median (interquartile range).
Test for trend by design-adjusted Wald test with 4 ordered categories of antioxidant entered as independent continuous variable.
Test for interaction of vitamin C and study center by design-adjusted chi-square test.
Levels of α-tocopherol were adjusted for cholesterol in the analysis.