Purpose: To examine if long-term supplementation with alpha-tocopherol (AT) or beta-carotene (BC) was associated with the prevalence of vascular changes in retinal arterioles.

Methods: An end-of-trial subsample from a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to study the effects of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene on lung cancer incidence (ATBC Study).

Setting: Source population of Helsinki and the surrounding province.

Participants: 1072 men 50-69 years old and smoking at least 5 cigarettes per day at study entry.

Interventions: Random allocation to one of four supplementation regimens: 50 mg per day alpha-tocopherol, 20 mg per day beta-carotene, both alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene, or placebo. Median follow-up time was 6.6 years (range 5.2-8.0 years).

Main Outcome Measure: Presence of vascular changes in retinal arterioles as determined from end-of-trial retinal color photographs.

Results: Retinal vascular changes were most prevalent in the AT (161 men, 62%), and in the BC (163 men, 62%) groups. The prevalence rate was lowest in the AT plus BC group (161 men, 55%), and slightly higher in the placebo group (145 men, 57%). There was no statistically significant association of either AT (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.7-1.2) or BC (OR 1.0, 95% CI 0.8-1.3) supplementation with the prevalence of retinal vascular changes after adjusting for major risk factors.

Conclusions: Supplementation with alpha-tocopherol or beta-carotene for a median of 6.6 years does not protect against retinal vascular changes among smoking males.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0420.1998.760112.xDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

vascular changes
24
alpha-tocopherol beta-carotene
20
retinal vascular
16
supplementation alpha-tocopherol
12
changes retinal
8
161 men
8
men 62%
8
retinal
7
changes
6
alpha-tocopherol
6

Similar Publications

Relations between trajectories of weight loss and changes in psychological health over a period of 2 years following bariatric metabolic surgery.

Qual Life Res

January 2025

Department of Health Psychology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify trajectories of BMI, obesity-specific health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), and depression trajectories from pre-surgery to 24 months post-bariatric metabolic surgery (BMS), and explore their associations, addressing subgroup differences often hidden in group-level analyses.

Method: Patients with severe obesity (n = 529) reported their HR-QoL and depression before undergoing BMS, and at 12 and 24 months post-operation. Latent Class Growth Analysis was used to identify trajectories of BMI, HR-QoL and depression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: Three-column osteotomy (3CO) offers substantial spinal deformity correction. Thoracic neurovascular bundle sacrifice is often required, and anterior spinal artery (ASA) perfusion can be compromised. Spinal angiography allows localization of variable ASA vascular contribution.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Optimizing the life of vascular access during follow-up.

J Cardiovasc Surg (Torino)

February 2025

Department of Vascular Surgery, ASST Settelaghi Universitary Teaching Hospital, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.

Optimizing the longevity of vascular access in hemodialysis patients remains a critical aspect of patient care, given the significant role of arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) and arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) in enabling effective dialysis. Vascular access complications, such as stenosis, thrombosis, and cannulation-related damage, continue to challenge both the functionality and the sustainability of these access points. Recent advancements underscore the importance of a robust follow-up strategy, integrating clinical evaluations with diagnostic tools like color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) and emerging interventional approaches such as drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Diabetic neuropathy (DN), a common and debilitating complication of diabetes, significantly impairs the quality of life of affected individuals. While multiple studies have indicated changes in the expression of specific matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in patients with DN, and basic research has reported the impact of MMPs on DN, there is a lack of systematic research and the causal relationship remains unclear. The objective of this research is to investigate the casual relationship between MMPs and DN through two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Detecting and measuring changes in longitudinal fundus imaging is key to monitoring disease progression in chronic ophthalmic diseases, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. Clinicians assess changes in disease status by either independently reviewing or manually juxtaposing longitudinally acquired color fundus photos (CFPs). Distinguishing variations in image acquisition due to camera orientation, zoom, and exposure from true disease-related changes can be challenging.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!