The association between food diversity and serum antioxidant indices in cataract patients compared to healthy subjects.

Background: Cataract is a chronic disorder that is related to antioxidant-oxidant imbalance situation. We aimed to investigate the association between food diversity and serum antioxidant and oxidant indices in cataract patients compared to healthy subjects.

Materials And Methods: In this case-control study, ninety volunteers (aged > 50 years) were divided into the cataract ( = 45) and healthy control ( = 45) groups. Anthropometric variables, physical activity and stress levels, food diversity score, serum total oxidant capacity (TOC), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) measurements were done for all participants.

Results: Serum TAC, even after adjustment for stress level, was significantly higher in healthy people compared to cataract patients ( < 0.001). In addition, serum TOC was significantly lower in healthy controls compared to cataract patients ( < 0.002). In healthy group, there was a weak significant positive association between serum TAC and meats group diversity (r = 0.149, = 0.047). In addition, there was a moderate negative association between meats group diversity and TOC in the healthy controls (r = -0.712, = 0.041). In the cataract group, there was a significant negative association between serum TOC and diversity score of fruits (r = -0.811, = 0.017) and meats group (r = -0.926, = 0.046) as well as total score of food diversity (r = -0.466, = 0.003).

Conclusion: It seems that increase in total dietary diversity and food groups' diversity can have a beneficial effect on oxidant situation among cataract patients.