TY - JOUR
T1 - A prospective study of the relationship between body mass index and cataract extraction among US women and men
AU - Weintraub, J. M.
AU - Willett, W. C.
AU - Rosner, B.
AU - Colditz, G. A.
AU - Seddon, J. M.
AU - Hankinson, S. E.
N1 - Funding Information:
Supported by grants CA40356, T32 ES07069, DK46200, EY09611 and EY12269 from the National Institutes of Health.
PY - 2002/12/1
Y1 - 2002/12/1
N2 - BACKGROUND: Obesity may influence several physiologic processes involved in cataract formation such as oxidative stress, glycosylation and osmotic stress. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between increased body mass index (BMI) and the incidence of cataract extraction. DESIGN AND SETTING: The Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, both prospective cohort studies of US women and men. SUBJECTS: A total of 87 682 women and 45 549 men aged 45 y and older who did not have diagnosed cataract or cancer at baseline (1980 for women, 1986 for men). MEASUREMENTS: Cataract extractions occurring between baseline and 1996, confirmed by medical records. RESULTS: During 16 y of follow-up in the women, and 10 y in the men, (1 097 997 person-y), 4430 incident cases were documented. Compared to participants with BMI less than 23 kg/m2, those with BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 had 36% higher risk of any type of cataract (pooled multivariate relative risk (RR), 1.36; 95% Cl, 1.23-1.49) after adjusting for smoking, age and lutein/zeaxanthin intake. The association was strongest for posterior subcapsular (PSC) cataract (pooled multivariate RR, 1.99; 95% Cl, 1.55-2.55). With adjustment for diabetes, the RR of obesity associated with posterior subcapsular cataract was 1.68 (95% Cl, 1.30-2.17). Obesity was not significantly associated with nuclear cataract. CONCLUSION: Obesity increases the risk of developing cataract overall, and of PSC cataract in particular; the etiology of PSC cataract may be mediated at least in part by glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, even in the absence of clinical diabetes.
AB - BACKGROUND: Obesity may influence several physiologic processes involved in cataract formation such as oxidative stress, glycosylation and osmotic stress. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between increased body mass index (BMI) and the incidence of cataract extraction. DESIGN AND SETTING: The Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, both prospective cohort studies of US women and men. SUBJECTS: A total of 87 682 women and 45 549 men aged 45 y and older who did not have diagnosed cataract or cancer at baseline (1980 for women, 1986 for men). MEASUREMENTS: Cataract extractions occurring between baseline and 1996, confirmed by medical records. RESULTS: During 16 y of follow-up in the women, and 10 y in the men, (1 097 997 person-y), 4430 incident cases were documented. Compared to participants with BMI less than 23 kg/m2, those with BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 had 36% higher risk of any type of cataract (pooled multivariate relative risk (RR), 1.36; 95% Cl, 1.23-1.49) after adjusting for smoking, age and lutein/zeaxanthin intake. The association was strongest for posterior subcapsular (PSC) cataract (pooled multivariate RR, 1.99; 95% Cl, 1.55-2.55). With adjustment for diabetes, the RR of obesity associated with posterior subcapsular cataract was 1.68 (95% Cl, 1.30-2.17). Obesity was not significantly associated with nuclear cataract. CONCLUSION: Obesity increases the risk of developing cataract overall, and of PSC cataract in particular; the etiology of PSC cataract may be mediated at least in part by glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, even in the absence of clinical diabetes.
KW - Cataract
KW - Diabetes
KW - Obesity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036958104&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/sj.ijo.0802158
DO - 10.1038/sj.ijo.0802158
M3 - Article
C2 - 12461675
AN - SCOPUS:0036958104
SN - 0307-0565
VL - 26
SP - 1588
EP - 1595
JO - International Journal of Obesity
JF - International Journal of Obesity
IS - 12
ER -