Serum β-carotene and the risk of sudden cardiac death in men: A population-based follow-up study

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine whether serum concentrations of carotenoids are related to the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in middle-aged men. MethodsThe study population consisted of 1031 Finnish men aged 46–65 years of the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) cohort. Serum concentrations of carotenoids were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The hazard ratios (HR) of serum β-carotene, lycopene and α-carotene were estimated by using the Cox proportional hazard model after adjusting for age and other potential confounding factors. ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 15.9 years a total of 59 incidents of SCD occurred. After controlling for age, systolic blood pressure, waist circumference, smoking, alcohol consumption, years of education, serum LDL cholesterol, serum hs-CRP, diabetes, prevalent coronary heart disease (CHD) and congestive heart failure (CHF), men in the lowest tertile of serum concentrations of β-carotene had a 2-fold increased risk of SCD (HR=2.15, 95% CI: 1.02–4.51; p=0.044) as compared to those in the highest tertile. The risk of SCD was borderline significant for lycopene. In addition, low serum β-carotene concentrations increased the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and total mortality. Lycopene and α-carotene were not related to the risk of SCD. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that low serum β-carotene concentrations may increase the risk of SCD in middle-aged Finnish men. Furthermore, low serum β-carotene concentrations may be related to the risk of CVD and total mortality.