Dietary {beta}-cryptoxanthin and inflammatory polyarthritis: results from a population-based prospective study -- Pattison et al. 82 (2): 451 -- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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Dietary §-cryptoxanthin and inflammatory polyarthritis: results from a

population-based prospective study1,2,3

Dorothy J Pattison, Deborah PM Symmons, Mark Lunt, Ailsa Welch, Sheila

A Bingham, E Day and Alan J Silman

1 From the Arthritis Research Campaign Epidemiology Unit, The

University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom (DJP, DPMS, ML,

and AJS), and the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, the

Institute of Public Health, the University of Cambridge School of

Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom (AW, SAB, and NED)

Background: Epidemiologic studies suggest that the antioxidant

potential of dietary carotenoids may protect against the oxidative

damage that can result in inflammation.

Objective: We investigated the hypothesis that some dietary carotenoids

are associated with a reduced risk of developing inflammatory

polyarthritis (IP).

Design: The European Prospective Investigation of Cancer Incidence

(EPIC)-Norfolk study is a population-based, prospective study of >25000

subjects who completed a baseline 7-d diet diary and were followed up

to identify new cases of IP, which was defined as synovitis that

affected ³2 joint groups. Dietary carotenoid intakes were computed from

the diet diaries of these subjects, and a nested, case-control analysis

was undertaken to compare carotenoid intake between case subjects and

age- and sex-matched control subjects.

Results: Eighty-eight incident cases of IP that occurred in the

population surveyed were ascertained via the Norfolk Arthritis

Register. The mean daily intakes of zeaxanthin and §-cryptoxanthin were

20% and 40% lower, respectively, in the cases than in the 176 controls,

but there were no significant differences in the intakes of either

lutein or lycopene. Those subjects in the top one-third of intake of

zeaxanthin and §-cryptoxanthin were at a lower risk of developing IP

than were subjects in the lowest one-third [odds ratios (95% CI): 0.48

(0.24, 0.94) and 0.51 (0.25, 1.02) for zeaxanthin and §-cryptoxanthin,

respectively]. The association with §-cryptoxanthin was significant

after adjustments were made for total energy and protein intakes and

for cigarette smoking.

Conclusion: These data are consistent with previous evidence showing

that a modest increase in §-cryptoxanthin intake, equivalent to one

glass of freshly squeezed orange juice per day, is associated with a

reduced risk of developing inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid

arthritis.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/82/2/451