alpha-carotene levels associated with longevity
jw
High blood levels of the antioxidant alpha-carotene appear to be
associated with a reduced risk of dying over a 14-year period,
according to a report posted online today that will be published in
the March 28 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Oxygen-related damage to DNA, proteins and fats may play a role in the
development of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer,
according to background information in the article. Carotenoids—
including beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lycopene—are produced by
plants and microorganisms and act as antioxidants, counteracting this
damage. Carotenoids in the human body are obtained mainly through
eating fruits and vegetables rich in the nutrients, or through
antioxidant supplements.
Although studies suggest eating more fruits and vegetables is
associated with lower risk of chronic diseases, randomized controlled
trials have not shown any benefit for beta-carotene supplements, the
authors note. "Therefore, carotenoids other than beta-carotene may
contribute to the reduction in disease risk, and their effects on risk
of disease merit investigation," the authors write.
Chaoyang Li, M.D., Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues assessed the relationship between
alpha-carotene and the risk of death among 15,318 adults age 20 and
older who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey Follow-up Study. Participants underwent a medical
examination and provided blood samples between 1988 and 1994, and were
followed through 2006 to determine whether and how they died.
Over the course of the study, 3,810 participants died; the risk for
dying was lower with higher levels of alpha-carotene in the blood.
Compared with individuals with blood alpha-carotene levels between 0
and 1 micrograms per deciliter, the risk of death during the study
period was 23 percent lower among who had concentrations between 2 and
3 micrograms per deciliter, 27 percent lower with levels between 4 and
5 micrograms per deciliter, 34 percent lower with levels between 6 and
8 micrograms per deciliter and 39 percent lower with levels of 9
micrograms per deciliter or higher.
Higher alpha-carotene concentration also appeared to be associated
with lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer
individually, and of all other causes. "The association between serum
alpha-carotene concentrations and risk of death from all causes was
significant in most subgroups stratified by demographic
characteristics, lifestyle habits and health risk factors," the
authors write.
Alpha-carotene is chemically similar to beta-carotene but may be more
effective at inhibiting the growth of cancer cells in the brain, liver
and skin, they note. "Moreover, results from a population-based case-
control study of the association between the consumption of fruits and
vegetables and risk of lung cancer suggest that consumption of yellow-
orange (carrots, sweet potatoes or pumpkin and winter squash) and dark-
green (broccoli, green beans, green peas, spinach, turnips greens,
collards and leaf lettuce) vegetables, which have a high alpha-
carotene content, was more strongly associated with a decreased risk
of lung cancer than was consumption of all other types of vegetables,"
the authors write.
The results support increasing fruit and vegetable consumption as a
way of preventing premature death, and suggest a need for clinical
research into the health benefits of alpha-carotene, they conclude.
More information: Arch Intern Med. Published online November 22, 2010.
doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2010.440
Provided by JAMA and Archives Journals (news : web)
Thomas Carter
Hi JW,
Here's my archive section on carotenoids. The article is wrong about
beta carotene, a 15 year intervention trial reported neurobenefits
consistent with epidemilologic studies.The best way to raise the
levels are to eat carrots with some fat. I've been eating two a day
for decades. I would think we should all shoot for the level mentioned
in the paper which is nine mikes/deciL. Your article is now the first
one in my archive, the supporting ones follow.
Thomas
5/7 show a benefit of about 25% on mortality. (one is only CVD
mortality.) The other two measured, but did not report corotenoid
related mortality in the abstract. Average of the five should be about
18%. And now in 2010 An NHANES report found the mortality benefit to
be linear upto the highest levels which were associated with a 39%
lower mortality rate. A confounder would be that the NHANES data base
is a bit heavy in minorities and lower socioeconomic groups so the
control group would have a rather hi mortality rate.
Public release date: 22-Nov-2010
[ Print | E-mail | Share ] [ Close Window ]
Contact: Rhonda K. Smith
Zb...@cdc.gov
404-639-3286
JAMA and Archives Journals
High alpha-carotene levels associated with longer life
High blood levels of the antioxidant alpha-carotene appear to be
associated with a reduced risk of dying over a 14-year period,
according to a report posted online today that will be published in
the March 28 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the
JAMA/Archives journals.
Oxygen-related damage to DNA, proteins and fats may play a role in the
development of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer,
according to background information in the article. Carotenoids—
including beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lycopene—are produced by
plants and microorganisms and act as antioxidants, counteracting this
damage. Carotenoids in the human body are obtained mainly through
eating fruits and vegetables rich in the nutrients, or through
antioxidant supplements.
Although studies suggest eating more fruits and vegetables is
associated with lower risk of chronic diseases, randomized controlled
trials have not shown any benefit for beta-carotene supplements, the
authors note. "Therefore, carotenoids other than beta-carotene may
contribute to the reduction in disease risk, and their effects on risk
of disease merit investigation," the authors write.
Chaoyang Li, M.D., Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues assessed the relationship between
alpha-carotene and the risk of death among 15,318 adults age 20 and
older who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey Follow-up Study. Participants underwent a medical
examination and provided blood samples between 1988 and 1994, and were
followed through 2006 to determine whether and how they died.
Over the course of the study, 3,810 participants died; the risk for
dying was lower with higher levels of alpha-carotene in the blood.
Compared with individuals with blood ~alpha-carotene levels between 0
###
(Arch Intern Med. Published online November 22, 2010. doi:10.1001/
archinternmed.2010.440. Available pre-embargo to the media at
www.jamamedia.org.)
J Nutr. 2006 Jan;136(1):172-6. Related Articles, Links
Low Serum Selenium and Total Carotenoids Predict Mortality among Older
Women Living in the Community:
The Women's Health and Aging Studies.
Ray AL, Semba RD, Walston J, Ferrucci L, Cappola AR, Ricks MO, Xue QL,
Fried LP.
The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD; Department of
Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism,
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA.
Selenium and the carotenoids play an important role in
antioxidant defenses and in the redox regulation involved in
inflammation. We tested the hypothesis that low selenium and
carotenoids predict mortality in older women living in the community.
Women who were enrolled in the Women's Health and Aging Studies I and
II in Baltimore, MD (n = 632; 70-79 y old) had serum selenium and
carotenoids measured at baseline and were followed for mortality over
60 mo. Median (minimum, maximum) serum ~selenium and ~carotenoids were
1.53 (0.73, 2.51) mumol/L and 1.67 (0.13, 9.10) mumol/L; 14.1% of the
women died. The 5 major causes of death were heart disease (32.6%),
cancer (18.0%), stroke (9.0%), infection (6.7%), and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (5.6%). Adjusting for age, education,
smoking, BMI, poor appetite, and chronic diseases, higher serum
selenium [hazard ratio (HR) 0.71, 95% CI 0.56-0.90/1 SD increase in
log(e) selenium; P = 0.005] and higher serum total carotenoids (HR
0.77, 95% CI 0.64-0.84/1 SD increase in log(e) total carotenoids; P =
0.009) were associated with a lower risk of mortality. Women living in
the community who have higher serum selenium and carotenoids are at a
lower risk of death.PMID: 16365078
Mortality vs selenium
Mortality vs carotenoids
J Nutr. 2008 Feb;138(2):344-50.Related Articles, Links
Both alpha- and beta-carotene, but not tocopherols and vitamin C, are
inversely related to 15-year cardiovascular mortality in Dutch elderly
men.
Buijsse B, Feskens EJ, Kwape L, Kok FJ, Kromhout D.
Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 6700
EV The Netherlands.
The role of beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, and vitamin
C in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is controversial.
Prospective studies on gamma-tocopherol and carotenoids other than
beta-carotene are sparse. We assessed relations between the intake of
different carotenoids, alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, and vitamin C with
15-y CVD mortality in elderly men who participated in the Zutphen
Elderly Study. Information on diet and potential confounding factors
was collected in 1985, 1990, and 1995. In 1985, 559 men (mean age
approximately 72 y) free of chronic diseases were included in the
current analysis. After 15 y of follow-up, comprising 5744 person-
years, 197 men had died from CVD. After adjustment for age, smoking,
and other potential lifestyle and dietary confounders, relative risks
(RR) (95% CI) of CVD death for a 1-SD increase in intake were 0.81
(0.66-0.99) for alpha-carotene and 0.80 (0.66-0.97) for beta-carotene.
Carrots were the primary source of alpha- and beta-carotene and their
consumption was related to a lower risk of death from CVD (adjusted
RR, 0.83; 95% CI = 0.68-1.00). Intakes of carotenoids other than
alpha- and beta-carotene were not associated with CVD mortality, nor
were vitamin C and alpha- and gamma tocopherol. In conclusion, dietary
intakes of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene are inversely associated
with CVD mortality in elderly men. This study does not indicate an
important role for other carotenoids, tocopherols, or vitamin C in
lowering the risk of CVD death. PMID: 18203902
Int J Epidemiol. 2001 Feb;30(1):136-43.
Serum carotenoids, alpha-tocopherol and mortality risk in a
prospective study among Dutch elderly.
De Waart FG, Schouten EG, Stalenhoef AF, Kok FJ.
The Division of Human Nutrition and Epidemiology, Wageningen
University and Research Center, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
frouwk...@consunet.nl
BACKGROUND: Although beta-carotene has shown inverse
associations with chronic diseases involving free radical damage in
observational epidemiological studies less attention has been paid to
five other major carotenoids also showing antioxidant activity in
vitro. METHODS: We studied the associations between 7.2-year mortality
and serum levels of six carotenoids, and alpha-tocopherol, measured in
stored serum, sampled in 1991/1992 during a health survey among 638
independently living elderly subjects aged 65-85 years. Proportional
hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios of all-cause
mortality for the lowest tertiles of serum vitamins with the highest
tertiles, adjusting for possible confounding effects. RESULTS: During
a follow-up period of 7.2 years 171 elderly died. The adjusted hazard
ratios for all-cause mortality for the lowest tertiles of vitamins
compared with the highest tertiles were between 1.02 and 1.73. The
strongest increase in mortality risk was seen for beta-cryptoxanthin
(1.52, 95% CI : 1.00, 2.32), lutein (1.56, 95% CI : 1.05, 2.31) and
zeaxanthin (1.32, 95% CI : 0.89, 1.97) and their sum (oxygenated
carotenoids: 1.73, 95% CI : 1.12, 2.67). Tests for trend were
significant (P < 0.05) for all-cause mortality risk and serum levels
of total carotenoids, oxygenated carotenoids and beta-cryptoxanthin.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that serum levels of individual
carotenoids, particularly the oxygenated species are inversely
associated with all-cause mortality and should be considered as
candidates for further investigations. PMID: 11171874
Mortality vs beta-cryptoxantin
Mortality vs lutein
Mortality vs zeaxanthin
Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Oct;82(4):879-86. Related Articles, Links Plasma
carotene and alpha-tocopherol in relation to 10-y all-cause and cause-
specific mortality in European elderly: the Survey in Europe on
Nutrition and the Elderly, a Concerted Action (SENECA).
Buijsse B, Feskens EJ, Schlettwein-Gsell D, Ferry M, Kok FJ, Kromhout
D, de Groot LC.
Center for Nutrition and Health, National Institute for Public Health
and the Environment, Bilthoven, Netherlands. brian....@rivm.nl
BACKGROUND: Only a few observational studies have related
plasma carotene and alpha-tocopherol to mortality in elderly subjects.
OBJECTIVE: The objective was to study the association of plasma
carotene (alpha-and beta-carotene) and alpha-tocopherol with all-cause
and cause-specific mortality in elderly subjects who participated in a
European prospective study. DESIGN: Plasma concentrations of carotene
and alpha-tocopherol were measured in 1168 elderly men and women.
After a follow-up period of 10 y, 388 persons had died. The
association between plasma antioxidants and mortality was analyzed by
using Cox proportional hazard models. To put our results in context,
we performed a meta-analysis of 5 studies on plasma antioxidants and
all-cause mortality in elderly populations. RESULTS: Plasma carotene
concentrations were associated with a lower mortality risk [adjusted
rate ratio (RR) for an increment of 0.39 micromol/L: 0.79; 95% CI:
0.70, 0.89]. This lower mortality risk was observed for both cancer
(RR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.79) and cardiovascular disease (RR: 0.83;
95% CI: 0.70, 1.00). The lower risk of cardiovascular death was
confined to those with a body mass index (in kg/m2) <25 (RR: 0.67; 95%
CI: 0.49, 0.94). Plasma concentrations of alpha-tocopherol were not
associated with all-cause or cause-specific mortality. The results for
both plasma antioxidants and all-cause mortality were confirmed by the
meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study suggests that high
plasma concentrations of carotene are associated both with lower
mortality from all causes and with cancer in the elderly. For
cardiovascular mortality, the inverse association was confined to
elderly with body mass indexes <25.
PMID: 16210720 [full text shows plasma carotene benefits mainly cancer
and plasma alpha tocopherol has benefits on vascular fatalities.]
In fully adjusted models, there was no evidence for an influence of
alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, or retinol on total mortality.
Dietary antioxidants measured by the food-frequency questionnaire were
not associated with all-cause or cardiovascular disease mortality.
CONCLUSION: Low blood vitamin C concentrations in the older British
population are strongly predictive of mortality.PMID: 14594788 [Total
carotenoids were measured, but not mentioned as being associated with
mortality.]
No other significant associations were observed. In conclusion, the
results indicate that high intakes and plasma levels of vitamin C and
frequent consumption of vegetables may be protective against early
mortality and mortality from heart disease.PMID: 8781466 [Total
carotenoids were measured, but not mentioned as being associated with
mortality.]
jw
The last study's observation of BMI-differentiated results is worth
noting, esp.
jw
winners in the alpha-carotene contest.