High serum level of lutein may be protective against early atherosclerosis: The Beijing atherosclerosis study

• Published in: Atherosclerosis Vol. 219; no. 2; pp. 789 - 793
• Main Authors: Zou, Zhiyong, Xu, Xianrong, Huang, Yangmu, Xiao, Xin, Ma, Le, Sun, Tingting, Dong, Pengcheng, Wang, Xun, Lin, Xiaoming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.12.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aged; Arterial stiffness; atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis (general aspects, experimental research); beta Carotene - blood; beta-carotene; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; blood serum; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular; Cardiovascular system; Carotenoids - blood; carotid arteries; Carotid Artery Diseases - blood; Carotid Artery Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Carotid Artery Diseases - physiopathology; Carotid Artery Diseases - prevention & control; Carotid Artery, Common - diagnostic imaging; Carotid Artery, Common - physiopathology; Case-Control Studies; Chi-Square Distribution; China; correlation; Early atherosclerosis; Early Diagnosis; Elasticity; Female; gender; high performance liquid chromatography; Humans; Intima-media thickness; Lutein; Lutein - blood; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; modulus of elasticity; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Predictive Value of Tests; Serum carotenoid; Tunica Intima - diagnostic imaging; Tunica Media - diagnostic imaging; Ultrasonography; Up-Regulation; Vasodilator agents. Cerebral vasodilators; Xanthophylls - blood; zeaxanthin; Zeaxanthins; China; Lutein; Intima-media thickness; Early atherosclerosis; Arterial stiffness; Serum carotenoid; Vascular disease; Prevention; Atherosclerosis; Cardiovascular disease; Stiffness; Carotenoid
• ISSN: 0021-9150; 1879-1484
• DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2011.08.006

Abstract Objective We investigated whether early atherosclerosis before calcified plaque appeared as assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was associated with levels of the major carotenoids, and assessed the associations among these serum carotenoids, carotid IMT, and arterial stiffness. Methods The case-control study comprised 125 subjects with early atherosclerosis and 107 controls aged 45–68 years. We simultaneously measured common carotid IMT and arterial stiffness by carotid ultrasonography, and serum carotenoids were determined by high-pressure liquid chromatograph (HPLC). Results In cases of early atherosclerosis, serum level of lutein was significantly lower than that in controls. Serum lutein was inversely associated with carotid IMT. Zeaxanthin and β-carotene were both negatively correlated with right common carotid artery stiffness β , elastic modulus ( E p ), and pulse wave velocity (PWV). After adjusting for age and gender, the associations remain significantly ( P < 0.05). However, there is no significant difference for zeaxanthin and β-carotene between the cases and controls. Conclusion These findings suggest that lutein may play a protective role in the prevention of early atherosclerosis, and the associations between serum carotenoids and arterial stiffness remained to be investigated.