Abstract
The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the relationship between blood lutein and zeaxanthin concentration and the risk of age-related cataract (ARC). MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI and Cochrane Library were searched to identify relevant studies up to April 2013. Meta-analysis was conducted to obtain pooled relative risks (RRs) for the highest-versus-lowest categories of blood lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations. One cohort study and seven cross-sectional studies were included in the meta-analysis. There were significant inverse associations between nuclear cataract and blood lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations, with the pooled RRs ranging from 0.63 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49, 0.77) for zeaxanthin to 0.73 (95% CI: 0.59, 0.87) for lutein. A stronger association between nuclear cataract and blood zeaxanthin might be noted for the studies conducted in the European Nations. Blood lutein and zeaxanthin were also noted to lead towards a decrease in the risk of cortical cataract and subcapsular cataract; however, these pooled RRs were not statistically significant, with the exception of a marginal association between lutein and subcapsular cataract. Our results suggest that high blood lutein and zeaxanthin are significantly associated with a decrease in the risk of nuclear cataract. However, no significant associations were found for ARC in other regions of the lens.
Highlights
Cataract is a clouding or opacification of the lens inside the eye that obstructs the passage of light [1]
Of the 57 articles that were considered as potentially relevant studies and were retrieved for full-text review, eight studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis [12,13,14,18,19,20,21,22]
The Egger and Begg tests suggested the absence of significant publication bias (P > 0.05). The findings from this meta-analysis indicated that the reduction in the occurrence of nuclear cataract was significantly associated with high concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin in serum, especially for zeaxanthin
Summary
Cataract is a clouding or opacification of the lens inside the eye that obstructs the passage of light [1]. Age-related cataract (ARC) is the leading causes of blindness and vision impairment worldwide [2]. It was estimated that 20 million people older than 40 years were visually impaired due to ARC in the United States [3]. ARC cases can be cured, the high treatment costs and increasing demands for therapy will challenge the long-term economic stability of health care systems [4]. With the rapidly aging population, ARC has brought a massive burden on health care and become an important public health issue. Identifying modifiable factors available to prevent or delay the development of ARC is a crucial strategy
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