Annals of Epidemiology
Volume 5, Issue 4 , Pages 255-260, July 1995

A prospective study of consumption of carotenoids in fruits and vegetables and decreased cardiovascular mortality in the elderly☆

  • J.Michael Gaziano, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress reprint requests to: J. Michael Gaziano, MD, MPH, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 900 Commonwealth Avenue East, Boston, MA 02215-1204.
    • From the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
    • From the Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
    • From the Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
    • From the Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA
    • ,
  • Joann E. Manson, MD, DrPh

      Affiliations

    • From the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
    • From the Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
    • ,
  • Laurence G. Branch, PhD

      Affiliations

    • From the Boston University, Boston, USA
    • From the Abt Associates, Cambridge, MA, USA
    • ,
  • Graham A. Colditz, MBBS, DrPh

      Affiliations

    • From the Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
    • From the Abt Associates, Cambridge, MA, USA
    • ,
  • Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPh

      Affiliations

    • From the Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
    • From the Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
    • From the Abt Associates, Cambridge, MA, USA
    • ,
  • Julie E. Buring, ScD

      Affiliations

    • From the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
    • From the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
    • From the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA

From the Cardiology Section, Department of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Brockton/West Roxbury, USA

Received 6 October 1994; accepted 5 December 1994.

Abstract 

Recent evidence suggests that oxidative damage may be involved in atherogenesis, and thus dietary antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, may reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examined the association between consumption of carotene-containing fruits and vegetables and CVD mortality among 1299 elderly Massachusetts residents who provided dietary information as a part of the Massachusetts Health Care Panel Study. During a mean follow-up of 4.75 years, there were 161 deaths attributable to CVD, 48 of which were due to myocardial infarction. For total CVD death and fatal myocardial infarction, risks were lower among those residents in the highest quartile for consumption of carotene-containing fruits and vegetables as compared with those in the lowest. For death due to CVD, the relative risk (RR) was 0.54 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34 to 0.86; P for trend across quartiles, 0.004). For myocardial infraction the RR was 0.25 (95% CI, 0.09 to 0.67; P for trend, 0.002). These observational data are compatible with the hypothesis that increased dietary intake of carotenoids decreases the risks of CVD mortality; however, confounding cannot be ruled out. This hypothesis requires rigorous evaluation in randomized trials of sufficient size to detect reliably whether carotenoids confer small-to-moderate but clinically important protection against CVD.

Keywords:  Antioxidants, beta-carotene, cardiovascular disease, carotenoids, myocardial infarction, elderly

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☆ This work is supported by grants from the US Administration on Aging (no. 90-A-641) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL-26490, HL-34595, HL-43851).

PII: 1047-2797(94)00090-G

doi:10.1016/1047-2797(94)00090-G

Annals of Epidemiology
Volume 5, Issue 4 , Pages 255-260, July 1995

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