Citrus carotenoid may fight polyarthritis

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Citrus carotenoid may fight polyarthritis

By Dominique Patton

Zinc and citrus antioxidant could protect against arthritis

09/08/2005 - Increasing intake of the carotenoid beta-cryptoxanthin,

found in citrus fruits, may reduce the risk of developing inflammatory

disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, report UK researchers.

Prior studies have suggested that the antioxidant potential of dietary

carotenoids may protect against the oxidative damage that can result in

inflammation.

A team from the University of Manchester and the University of

Cambridge in the UK analysed data from the European Prospective

Investigation of Cancer Incidence (EPIC)-Norfolk study, a study of more

than 25000 subjects who completed a baseline seven-day diet diary.

They were followed up to identify new cases of inflammatory

polyarthritis, which was defined as synovitis that affected at least

two or more joint groups.

The average daily intake of beta-cryptoxanthin was 40 per cent lower in

those who developed the condition than the 176 controls without, while

zeaxanthin intake was 20 per cent lower, write the researchers in this

month’s issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (vol 82, no

2, pp451-455).

People in the top one-third of beta-cryptoxanthin intake were almost

half as likely to develop the condition as those in the lowest third,

and this association was still significant after adjustments were made

for total energy and protein intakes and for cigarette smoking.

“These data are consistent with previous evidence showing that a modest

increase in beta-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,” conclude the researchers.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects one in 100 people in the UK.

In 2003, researchers using data from the Iowa Women's Health study

found that women who consumed less than 40 micrograms of

beta-cryptoxanthin were at a slightly higher risk of developing

rheumatoid arthritis than women who consumed more than that amount.

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