SERUM CAROTENOIDS AND TOCOPHEROLS AND SEVERITY OF NUCLEAR AND CORTICAL OPACITIES

Purpose. To determine whether higher levels of individual carotenoids and tocopherols in the serum are related to less severe nuclear and co rtical opacities within the general population. Methods. Levels of ind ividual carotenoids and tocopherols in the serum were determined in 40 0 randomly selected persons aged 50 to 84 years participating in the N utritional Factors in Eye Disease Study of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Seve rity of nuclear and cortical opacities was assessed from lens slit lam p and retroillumination photographs taken at the same time. Relationsh ips between serum levels of nutrients and prevalence of these opacitie s were evaluated using logistic regression analysis accounting for kno wn possible confounders. Results. Higher levels of individual or total carotenoids or alpha-tocopherol in the serum were not associated with less severe nuclear or cortical opacities overall. However, associati ons differed between men and women and within specific population subg roups. A significant trend for lower odds for either type of opacity w ith increasing levels of beta-carotene in the serum was observed in me n. For nuclear sclerosis, this protective association with beta-carote ne was found in younger but not older men. Higher levels of three othe r carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and lutein) in seru m were significantly related to lower odds for nuclear sclerosis only in men who smoked. In contrast to these inverse associations observed in some subgroups, higher levels of some carotenoids and alpha-tocophe rol often were directly associated with nuclear sclerosis, particularl y in women. Conclusions. Higher levels of carotenoids and tocopherols are not consistently associated with less severe opacities in the gene ral population.