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. 2014 Jun 3;13:52. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-13-52

Table 1.

Dietary intake and serum concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin, macular pigment optical density, serum lipids and body mass index in Spanish subjects (n=108) expressed as mean ± standard deviation, (median) and confidence interval [ 95% CI]

  Men
 Women
 Aged 20–35 years
 Aged 45–65 years
 Total sample
(n = 54) (n = 54) (n = 54) (n = 54) (n = 108)
Concentrations in serum
Lutein (μg/dl)
 13.0 ± 6.9
 12.7 ± 5.5
 10.9 ± 5.0b
 14.8 ± 6.6b
 12.8 ± 6.2
(11.2)
 (11.7)
 (10.0)
 (13.0)
 (11.6)
[11.1; 14.8]
 [11.2; 14.2]
 [9.5; 12.3]
 [13.0; 16.6]
 [11.7; 14.0]
Zeaxanthin (μg/dl)
 2.9 ± 1.4
 2.8 ± 1.3
 2.7 ± 1.2
 3.0 ± 1.5
 2.8 ± 1.4
(2.6)
 (2.5)
 (2.4)
 (2.6)
 (2.6)
[2.5; 3.2]
 [2.5 ; 3.2]
 [2.4; 3.0]
 [2.6; 3.4]
 [2.6; 3.1]
Lutein + zeaxanthin (μg/dl)
 16.5 ± 8.1
 15.6 ± 6.6
 14.3 ± 6.5b
 17.9 ± 7.8b
 16.1 ± 7.4
(14.6)
 (14.1)
 (12.8)
 (15.7 )
 (14.4)
[14.3; 18.8]
 [13.8; 17.5]
 [12.5; 16.1]
 [15.7; 20.0]
 [14.7; 17.5]
Lutein + zeaxanthin/cholesterol + triglycerides (μg/mg)
 0.06 ± 0.03
 0.06 ± 0.03
 0.06 ± 0.03
 0.06 ± 0.03
 0.06 ± 0.03
(0.05)
 (0.06)
 (0.05)
 (0.05)
 (0.05)
[0.05; 0.06]
 [0.06; 0.07]
 [0.05; 0.07]
 [0.05; 0.07]
 [0.06; 0.07]
Cholesterol (mg/dl)
 186.0 ± 42.9
 187.1 ± 42.9
 165.4 ± 43.2b
 207.7 ± 43.1b
 186.6 ± 48.0
(178)
 (191)
 (163.5)
 (201.0)
 (188)
[174.3; 195.7]
 [172.7; 2016]
 [153.6; 177.2]
 [196.0; 219.5]
 [177.4; 195.7]
HDL cholesterol (mg/dl)
 52.5 ± 14.1a
 62.4 ± 12.8a
 55.6 ± 12.9
 59.4 ± 15.5
 57.5 ± 14.3
(51.5)
 (65.5)
 (54)
 (60.0)
 (56)
[48.7; 56.4]
 [58.9; 65.9]
 [52.1; 59.1]
 [55.1; 63.6]
 [54.8; 60.2]
LDL cholesterol (mg/dl)
 110.7 ± 37.2
 109.7 ± 43.6
 92.8 ± 35.3b
 127.6 ± 37.7b
 110.2 ± 40.3
(107)
 (112.5)
 (88 )
 (121.5)
 (108)
[100.6; 120.9]
 [97.8; 121.5]
 [83.1; 102.4]
 [117.3; 137.9]
 [102.5; 117.9]
Triglycerides (mg/dl)
 105.7 ± 55.3a
 74.5 ± 23.9a
 86.3 ± 36.3
 94.0 ± 52.7
 90.1 ± 45.2
(87.9)
 (70.5)
 (76.0 )
 (78.5)
 (78)
[90.6; 120.8]
 [68.0; 81.1]
 [76.4; 96.2]
 [79.6; 108.4]
 [81.5; 98.8]
Dietary intake
Lutein (μg/day)
 955.4 ± 1418.1
 1190.8 ± 1727.4
 903.9 ± 1571.8b
 1242.3 ± 1579.3b
 1073.1 ± 1577.4
(408.8)
 (410.5)
 (339.2)
 (528.8)
 (410.5)
[568.4; 1342.5]
 [719.3; 1662.3]
 [474.9; 1333.0]
 [811.3; 1673.4]
 [772.2; 1374.0]
Zeaxanthin (μg/day)
 78.6 ± 121.1
 111.7 ± 155.7
 91.5 ± 143.5
 98.8 ± 137.2
 95.2 ± 139.8
(31.8)
 (48.9)
 (33.0)
 (46.3)
 (38.1)
[45.6; 111.7]
 [69.2; 154.2]
 [52.3; 130.7]
 [61.3; 136.2]
 [68.5; 121.8]
Lutein + zeaxanthin (μg/day)
 1052.8 ± 1531.6
 1283.7 ± 1860.6
 995.4 ± 1705.0b
 1341.1 ± 1693.1b
 1168.3 ± 1700.0
(445.9)
 (452.5)
 (369.0)
 (678.6)
 (451.0)
[634.8; 1470.9]
 [775.9; 1791.5]
 [530.0; 1460.8]
 [879.0; 1803.2]
 [844.0; 1492.5]
Lutein + zeaxanthin/1000 Kcal (μg/day)
 47.5 ± 71.2
 66.8 ± 91.5
 47.7 ± 78.4b
 66.6 ± 85.4b
 57.1 ± 82.2
(21.2)
 (26.0)
 (18.8)
 (31.9)
 (23.8)
[2.5; 323.9]
 [3.5; 379.0]
 [2.4; 367.5]
 [4.3; 335.3]
 [2.56; 329.4]
Macular pigment optical density (density units)
MPOD (n = 216 eyes)
 0.352 ± 0.150
 0.342 ± 0.155
 0.370 ± 0.140b
 0.325 ± 0.158b
 0.347 ± 0.108
(0.360)
 (0.350)
 (0.360)
 (0.320)
 (0.360)
[0.323; 0.382]
 [0.311; 0.373]
 [0.341; 0.398]
 [0.293; 0.356]
 [0.326; 0.370]
Body mass index (kg/m 2 ) 24.9 ± 2.2a
 21.8 ± 2.4a
 22.7 ± 2.8b
 24.0 ± 2.5b
 23.4 ± 2.7
(25.0)
 (21.5)
 (22.6)
 (24.1)
 (23.0)
[24.3; 25.4] [21.2; 22.5] [22.0; 23.5] [23.3; 24.7] [22.8; 23.9]

Serum values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation (each datum is the mean of three replicate injections), (median) and confidence interval [95% CI].

a Significant difference between sexes (p < 0.0001).

b Significant difference between age groups (p < 0.0005 for all variables, except for BMI p = 0.002).

HDL: high-density lipoprotein; LDL: low density lipoprotein; MPOD: macular pigment optical density.