Plasma carotenoid and onset of dysglycemia in an elderly population: results of the EVA study

doi:10.2337/dc07-2113

Plasma carotenoid and onset of dysglycemia in an elderly population: results of the EVA study

Tasnime N Akbaraly, PhD (akbaraly{at}montp.inserm.fr)^a,,^b,,^c,
Annick Fontbonne, MD, PhD^d,
Alain Favier, PhD^e and
Claudine Berr, MD, PhD^a

^aINSERM U888 Pathologies du système nerveux: recherche épidémiologique et clinique; Université Montpellier I. Hôpital La Colombière, 39 avenue Charles Flahault, BP 34493, 34093 Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
^bUniversity College London, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, London WC1E 6B, UK
^cMRC Human Nutrition Research, Cambridge CB1 9NL, UK
^dIRD UR024, 911 avenue Agropolis, BP64501, 34394 Montpellier cedex 5, France
^eDépartement de biologie intégrée. CHU de Grenoble, BP 217, 38043 Grenoble, cedex 9, France

Abstract

Objective: The hypothesis of carotenoid having a preventive role in diabetes is suggested by their antioxidant properties. In this report, we investigated the relationship between baseline total plasma carotenoid levels and 9-year onset of dysglycemia (Impaired Fasting Glucose or type 2 diabetes) in a healthy elderly population.

Research Design and Methods: The EVA (“Epidemiology of Vascular Ageing”) study is a 9-year longitudinal study including 1389 volunteers aged 59-71. Fasting plasma glucose was measured at baseline, 2, 4 and 9 year after inclusion. The relations between plasma carotenoid at baseline and incidence of dysglycemia were determined by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis adjusting for potential confounders.

Results: At 9-year, 127 incident cases of dysglycemia had occurred. Risk of dysglycemia was significantly lower in participants with plasma carotenoid in highest quartile Q4 compared to participants with lowest quartile Q1 (Q4 vs. Q1: RR=0.26 [0.14; 0.49], p<10-4; Q3 vs. Q1: RR=0.55 [0.34; 0.89], p=0.01; Q2 vs. Q1: RR=0.82 [0.51; 1.31], p=0.40). After controlling for socio-demographic variables, lifestyle habits, cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure, BMI and lipid profile, risk of dysglycemia remained significantly lower in participants in the highest quartile of total plasma carotenoid compared to participants in the lowest quartile (Q4 vs. Q1 : 0.42 [0.22;0.82], p=0.01; Q3 vs. Q1 : 0.69 [0.41;1.15], p=0.16; Q2 vs. Q1 : 0.80 [0.48;1.32], p=0.38).

Conclusions: This study confirms prospectively that plasma carotenoid levels have an independent relationship to onset of dysglycemia.