Objective:
Intake of fruits and vegetables and
levels of serum carotenoids have been associated with decreased risk
of stroke, but the results have been inconsistent. The aim of the
present study was to examine whether serum concentrations of major
carotenoids, α-tocopherol and retinol, are related to any stroke and
ischemic stroke in men.
The study population consisted of
1,031 Finnish men aged 46−65 years in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart
Disease Risk Factor cohort. Serum concentrations of carotenoids
retinol and α-tocopherol were measured by high-performance liquid
chromatography. The association between the serum concentrations of
lycopene α-carotene, β-carotene, α-tocopherol, and retinol and
the risk of strokes was studied by using Cox proportional hazards
models.
A total of 67 strokes occurred, and 50
of these were ischemic strokes during a median of 12.1 follow-up
years. After adjustment for age, examination year, BMI, systolic
blood pressure, smoking, serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,
diabetes, and history of stroke, men in the highest quartile of
serum lycopene concentrations had 59% and 55% lower risks of
ischemic stroke and any stroke, compared with men in the lowest
quartile (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]
0.25−0.95, p = 0.036 for any stroke and HR = 0.41; 95% CI
0.17−0.97, p = 0.042 for ischemic stroke). α-Carotene,
β-carotene, α-tocopherol, and retinol were not related to the risk
of strokes.
This prospective study shows that high
serum concentrations of lycopene, as a marker of intake of tomatoes
and tomato-based products, decrease the risk of any stroke and
ischemic stroke in men.
doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31826e26a6
Neurology October 9, 2012 vol. 79 no. 15 1540-1547
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