Fruit, vegetable, and dietary antioxidant intake and age-related cataract risk: A case-control study

Aim: This study was done to evaluate the relationship between dietary intake of some macronutrients, carotenoids, vitamins C, E, and A, and selenium and the risk of cataract. Methods: In this case-control study, dietary intakes of 97 cataract patients and 198 controls were assessed using a valid semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Cataract was diagnosed using a slit-lamp examination and defined as any lens opacity in either eye. The associations between cataract incidence and quartiles of macronutrient and micronutrient intakes were investigated using logistic regression models. Results: After adjusting for the effects of confounding variables, the risk of cataract was significantly low in the highest nutrient intake quartile relative to the lowest quartile for fruits (OR  =  0.15; 95% CI  =  0.05-0.30) and vegetables (OR=  0.20; 95% CI  =  0.08-0.40). We found significant, inverse associations of cataract with high dietary intake of vitamin C (OR = 0.22; 95% CI = 0.09-0.54), alpha-carotene (OR = 0.24; 95% CI = 0.10-0.58), beta-carotene (OR = 0.15; 95% CI  =  0.05-0.39), lutein/zeaxanthin (OR  =  0.19; 95% CI  =  0.08-0.45), and beta-cryptoxanthin (OR = 0.05; 95% CI = 0.01-0.15). Conclusion: High daily intakes of fruits and vegetables and some dietary antioxidants might be associated with a decrease in cataract risk in Tehran, Iran.