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The Journal of Nutrition

Nutritional Epidemiology

The Combination of Healthy Diet and Healthy


Body Weight Is Associated with Lower Risk of
Nuclear Cataract in the Blue Mountains Eye

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Study
Ava Grace Tan,1 Annette Kifley,1 Victoria M Flood,2,3 Joanna Russell,4 George Burlutsky,1
Robert G Cumming,5 Paul Mitchell,1 and Jie Jin Wang1,6

1
Centre for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney,
Sydney, NSW, Australia; 2 Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 3 Western Sydney Local Health
District, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia; 4 School of Health & Society, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of
Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; 5 School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; and 6 Health
Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

ABSTRACT
Background: Greater adherence to dietary guidelines has previously been found to be associated with decreased risk
of visual impairment. However, whether or not this association extends to age-related cataract, 1 of the leading causes
of visual impairment, is unknown.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the association between adherence to dietary guidelines, using total
diet score, and incidence of age-related cataract.
Methods: Of 3654 baseline participants of the population-based Blue Mountains Eye Study cohort (1992–1994), 2334
(75.8% survivors) and 1952 (76.7% survivors) were examined after 5 and 10 y, respectively. Cataract was assessed from
lens photographs using the Wisconsin Cataract Grading System. Baseline total diet score was calculated from FFQ data
following a modified version of the Healthy Eating Index for Australians. OR with 95% CI were estimated using discrete
logistic regression analyses, adjusting for age, sex, and other confounders. To test interaction, a cross-product term of
2 factors was included in regression models.
Results: Of 2173 participants (84.7% of those returned for 1 or both follow-ups) with total diet score estimated, 57%
were women, mean baseline age was 63.9 ± 8.4y, and mean baseline BMI was 26.3 ± 4.3 kg/m2 . After multivariable
adjustment, baseline total diet score was not associated with incidence of any cataract. A multiplicative interaction was
observed between total diet score and BMI for incident nuclear cataract (P-interaction = 0.04): increasing baseline total
diet score was associated with decreased risk of nuclear cataract among participants with BMI <25 (per unit increased
total diet score, OR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.81, 0.99; P = 0.02), but not among participants with BMI ≥25 (OR: 1.00; 95% CI:
0.92, 1.10; P = 0.95).
Conclusions: Adherence to dietary guidelines had no appreciable influence on cataract development overall in this
older Australian population. However, adherence to dietary guidelines combined with healthy BMI is associated with
decreased risk of nuclear cataract, an aging marker. J Nutr 2019;00:1–6.

Keywords: age-related cataract, epidemiology, nutrition, successful aging, total diet score

Worldwide, age-related cataract is 1 of the leading causes or delay in cataract progression may reduce the burden of
of blindness and visual impairment among persons aged ≥50 y, cataract and cataract surgery. Evidence from epidemiological
responsible for 35% of blindness and 25% of visual impairment studies indicates that diet and nutrition may influence cataract
cases (1). There are 3 different types of age-related cataract: development (3), offering a potential cataract prevention
cortical, nuclear, and posterior subcapsular (PSC), affecting approach.
different parts of the lens (2). Although all 3 cataract types Previous research involving nutrition and age-related
are associated with age, each type has differing etiologies cataract has mostly focused on the effects of individual nutrients
that are likely multifactorial (2). With continued increase in or combinations of selected nutrients, such as carotenoids and
the aging population, the socioeconomic and public health vitamins C and E (3). Given that individual nutrients are
burden of cataract will increase over time. Cataract prevention not consumed in isolation, and therefore, not likely to act in

Copyright  C American Society for Nutrition 2019. All rights reserved.


Manuscript received December 12, 2018. Initial review completed January 10, 2019. Revision accepted April 25, 2019.
First published online 0, 2019; doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxz103. 1
isolation, it is important to investigate the influence of overall cataract was assessed in a masked manner following the Wisconsin
healthy diet on cataract development. Summarized scores of Cataract Grading System (11). Cortical and posterior subcapsular
overall dietary consumption provide a more comprehensive (PSC) cataracts were assessed by laying a grid over the anterior and
measure of nutrition intake from both healthy and unhealthy posterior retroillumination photographs, respectively, and estimating
the percentage of area involved for each type of cataract. Cortical
foods and nutrients (4). Towards this goal, our research team
cataract was defined for those with ≥5% of total area involved.
members (JR, VF) had previously developed the total diet score
PSC cataract was defined for those with any such opacity present
using a modified Australian diet quality index, and assessed (i.e., >0% of total area involved). Nuclear cataract was assessed by
the association of adherence to both the Dietary Guidelines for comparing the slitlamp photograph to a standard set of 4 photographs.
Healthy Adults and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating with Nuclear cataract was defined for those with nuclear opacity greater
mortality risk among older Australians (5). than standard photo #3. Inter- and intragrader reliability of the cataract

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In the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) cohort, we grading has been reported previously with good agreement (12).
previously found a decreased risk of visual impairment over 10 y Participants without a particular type of cataract at baseline were
associated with increasing total diet score measured at baseline considered at risk of that particular type in the follow-up and were
(6), particularly for persons aged ≥65 y. Whether or not this included in the assessment of incident cataract. For example, if a
participant had nuclear cataract only at baseline, they would be
protective association is a result of associations between healthy
considered at risk of both cortical and PSC cataract at follow-up. As
diet and specific causes of visual impairment remains unclear. As
the 3 age-related cataract types have differing etiologies, this analysis
visual impairment can be caused by a number of different eye approach provides risk estimations of each cataract type separately
diseases, it is important to determine which specific eye diseases without taking into consideration whether or not other cataract types
are associated with healthy diet to better understand the disease are present at baseline.
etiology, and develop specific disease prevention strategies.
Although there have been studies examining the association Dietary assessment
between adherence to dietary guidelines or overall diet quality At each visit, participants were asked to complete a validated semi-
and prevalent cataract (7–9), there has been no study examining quantitative FFQ to assess typical food consumption throughout the
the longitudinal associations between adherence to dietary previous year, including portion size estimates and frequency. The FFQ
guidelines and incident cataract. We therefore aimed to included 145 items adapted for the Australian diet and vernacular
investigate whether greater adherence to dietary guidelines (high from the Willett FFQ (13). Validation of the FFQ was conducted in
total diet score) is associated with low incidence of age-related a subsample of the population (n = 78) and compared against weighed
food records over 1 y (13). Estimates of dietary intakes were determined
cataract in the BMES cohort.
using Australian Tables of Food Composition and were analyzed using a
purpose-built software analysis system with Australian nutrition tables
Methods 1990 (NUTTAB90) (14) to generate mean daily nutrient intake (15).
Development of the total diet score for BMES has been described
Study population previously (5). Briefly, the total diet score was based on a modified
The BMES is a population-based study of vision and common eye version of the Australian Healthy Eating Index to assess adherence to
diseases in an Australian population aged ≥49 y, residing in the Blue the recommended foods in the Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults
Mountains region of Sydney, Australia. Baseline examinations were (16) and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (17). The total diet
conducted during 1992–1994 on 3654 participants (82.4% of eligible). score was divided into 10 components, with each component given
Follow-up examinations on surviving participants were conducted a score between 0 and 2, for a total score out of 20. Nine of the
5 and 10 y after baseline, where 2334 (75.8% of survivors) and 1952 10 components assessed dietary recommendations and 1 component
(76.7% of survivors) participants were followed-up, respectively. The assessed nondietary recommendation for preventing weight gain in the
baseline and follow-up examinations of the BMES were approved by form of physical activity and energy expenditure. For each of the 10
the Human Research Ethics Committees of the University of Sydney components, a maximum score of 2 was given to those who met the
and the Western Area Health Service. The study adhered to the tenets of recommendations and scores were adjusted accordingly for those with
the Declaration of Helsinki and signed informed consent was obtained generally lower intakes of each item (4). Higher total diet scores indicate
from all participants at each examination. high adherence to dietary recommendations.
In this report, we used data from baseline FFQs to determine baseline
Examination procedures total diet score values.
The same examination procedures were conducted for all examination
visits and have been described in detail previously (10). Briefly, after Statistical analysis
pupil dilation, each participant underwent a detailed eye examination SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute) was used for all statistical analyses. Ten-year
including lens photography. Interviewer-administered questionnaires incidence of each type of cataract was estimated among participants
were used to collect demographic and medical information. without that type of cataract at baseline and who were at risk of
newly developing that type of cataract after baseline. In particular, after
Cataract assessment excluding those who had cataract surgery since baseline and those with
Cataract grading procedures used for all 3 examinations have been missing or ungradable photos at baseline or follow-up visits, there were
described previously (10). In brief, using retroillumination (Neitz CT- 1535 participants without cortical cataract at baseline who were at
R, Neitz Instruments) and slitlamp (Topcon SL-7E, Topcon Optical risk of developing cortical cataract, 1094 without nuclear cataract at
Co.) lens photographs taken during the eye examination, presence of baseline who were at risk of nuclear cataract, and 1724 without PSC at
baseline who were at risk of PSC cataract.
Quartiles of baseline total diet score were created using the baseline
Supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council
total diet score values of participants who attended the 5-y and/or
(grant numbers 974159, 211069, 1031058, and GNT1094094). The funding
organization had no role in the design or conduct of this research.
10-y follow-up examinations of the BMES (participants included in
Author disclosures: AGT, AK, VMF, JR, GB, RGC, PM, and JJW, no conflicts of this report). Total diet score was assessed as quartiles (lowest quartile
interest. as reference group) and also as a continuous score (per unit increase).
Address correspondence to JJW (e-mail: jiejin.wang@duke-nus.edu.sg). Potential confounding variables adjusted for in the analyses included
Abbreviations used: BMES, Blue Mountains Eye Study; PSC, posterior the following: baseline age, sex, education levels (defined as attainment
subcapsular cataract; ROS, reactive oxygen species. of trade certificate or higher degree), smoking status (past, current, and

2 Tan et al.
TABLE 1 Comparison of baseline characteristics in participants and nonparticipants of the 5-y
and/or 10-y follow-up examination of the Blue Mountains Eye Study1

Participants Nonparticipants
Baseline characteristics n = 2564 n = 1090 P2
Age, y 64.3 ± 8.6 70.7 ± 10.8 <0.0001
Female, % 57.9 53.9 0.03
Current smoker, % 13.4 19.4 <0.0001
Diabetes, % 6.5 10.8 <0.0001
Hypertension, % 42.6 52.0 <0.0001
Education, %3 <0.0001

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60.4 52.2
Myopia, % 15.4 19.4 0.003
BMI, kg/m2 26.3 ± 4.4 25.6 ± 4.8 <0.0001
Total diet score, unit 9.4 ± 2.2 8.9 ± 2.2 <0.0001
1
Values are means ± SDs for continuous variables and percentages for categorical variables as specified in row titles.
2
P values based on t test for means and chi-square for frequencies.
3
Defined as trade certificate or higher qualification.

never smokers), the presence of hypertension (defined as either systolic those aged ≥65 y (6), interaction between total diet score and age
blood pressure ≥160 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure ≥100 mm Hg was evaluated. Considering the relation between diet and body weight
or self-reported hypertension or use of antihypertensive medications), status, interaction between total diet score and BMI was also evaluated.
diabetes (defined as fasting blood glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L, self-reported Cross-product terms were added to the regression models, 1 at a
diabetes or use of diabetic medication), myopia (spherical equivalent of time, to test for multiplicative interactions between total diet score
less than −1.0 diopter), and self-reported use of inhaled or oral steroids. and age (TDS∗Age), or between total diet score and BMI (TDS∗BMI),
Baseline characteristics were compared between those who were to exclude the possibility of modifying effect of age or BMI on
followed-up and those who were lost to follow-up (Table 1). the association between total diet score and cataract incidence. For
Characteristics of participants attending the follow-up visits were significant interactions, further analyses were conducted in subgroups
compared across quartiles of baseline total diet score (Table 2). stratified by the effect modifier.
Differences in baseline characteristics were tested using independent
t test for continuous variables (means ± SDs) and Pearson’s chi-
square test for categorical variables (frequencies in percentages). Cox’s
discrete logistic regression models for time-to-event data (18, 19) Results
were used to assess associations between baseline total diet score
and incidence of each cataract type. The discrete logistic regression Of the 3654 participants at baseline, 2897 (79.2%) had usable
model is similar to the Cox regression model in that it is a survival data from baseline FFQ and therefore had total diet scores
analysis model incorporating time-to-event information. However, the estimated, and 2564 (70.2%) had returned to 1 or both follow-
time information used in this model was treated as being discrete in up visits after 5 y and/or 10 y. As a result, 2173 (84.7% of the
truth instead of a continuous time spectrum (e.g., number of days or 2564) participants had both total diet scores and lens status
months to the incidence). This logistic regression model is appropriate assessed at 1 or both follow-up examinations.
for our data as incident cataract cases were detected at discrete time- Nonparticipants were more likely to be older, male, current
points (the 5-y and/or 10-y follow-up visits) in our study. The discrete
smokers, less likely to have higher education and more likely to
time hazard is related to the covariates by a logistic regression equation
have hypertension, diabetes, myopia, low mean BMI, and low
(18, 19). In SAS, this was executed through PROC PHREG, where a
partial likelihood estimation method was used. OR with 95% CI are mean total diet score than participants who were followed-up
presented. P value for trend was calculated using median trend methods. (Table 1).
As a previous report from the BMES population found a protective Baseline total diet score ranged from 3.2 to 15.4 out of a total
association between total diet score and visual impairment among score of 20 (median 9.3, IQR 3.1) among those who attended

TABLE 2 Baseline characteristics of participants who attended the 5-y and/or 10-y follow-up examination of the Blue Mountains Eye
Study by quartiles of baseline total diet score1

Total diet score


Quartile 1 Quartile 2 Quartile 3 Quartile 4
Baseline characteristics n = 540 n = 550 n = 540 n = 543 P2
Total diet score, mean (range) 6.6 (3.2–7.8) 8.6 (7.8–9.3) 10.1 (9.3–10.9) 12.2 (10.9–15.4)
Age, y 63.1 ± 8.6 64.5 ± 8.5 63.4 ± 8.6 64.8 ± 7.9 0.001
Female, % 41.5 56.9 60.0 69.8 <0.0001
Current smoker, % 21.2 13.9 10.5 5.7 <0.0001
Diabetes, % 5.0 6.2 6.3 7.4 0.46
Hypertension, % 42.4 42.5 40.3 44.3 0.62
Education, %3 59.1 61.2 62.8 63.5 0.47
Myopia, % 17.8 14.3 14.8 14.2 0.35
BMI, kg/m2 26.3 ± 4.4 26.6 ± 4.5 26.4 ± 4.2 25.9 ± 4.3 0.056
1
Values are means ± SDs for continuous variables and percentages for categorical variables as specified in row titles.
2
P values based on t test for means and chi-square for frequencies.
3
Defined as trade certificate or higher qualification.

Total diet score, BMI, and incident cataract 3


TABLE 3 Association between total diet score and cumulative 5-y and 10-y incident cataracts in the Blue Mountains Eye Study1

Cortical cataract PSC cataract Nuclear cataract


2 2
Total diet score n/N OR (95% CI) P n/N OR (95% CI) P n/N OR (95% CI) P2
All participants
Quartile 1 83/394 1.00 (ref.) 0.18 30/437 1.00 (ref.) 0.60 78/280 1.00 (ref.) 0.35
Quartile 2 75/373 0.91 (0.63, 1.32) 21/423 0.65 (0.36, 1.20) 93/266 1.30 (0.88, 1.92)
Quartile 3 77/378 1.03 (0.72, 1.48) 28/427 0.87 (0.50, 1.54) 81/276 0.99 (0.66, 1.48)
Quartile 4 99/390 1.23 (0.86, 1.75) 38/437 1.05 (0.60, 1.82) 85/272 0.90 (0.60, 1.36)
Per unit increase in total diet 334/1535 1.04 (0.98, 1.10) 0.23 117/1724 1.03 (0.93, 1.13) 0.59 337/1094 0.95 (0.87, 1.01) 0.08

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score
1
Models adjusted for baseline age, sex, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, education, use of inhaled or oral steroids, and myopia. n/N, number of cases/number at risk;
PSC, posterior subcapsular.
2
P values are P-trend across quartiles.

follow-up examinations. Participants in the lowest quartile of nuclear cataract with increasing quartiles of total diet score:
total diet score were more likely to be younger, male, and current OR 1.07, 0.74, and 0.64 for the second, third, and fourth
smokers at baseline compared to those in the highest quartile quartiles of baseline total diet score, respectively, referencing
(Table 2). to the first quartile. No similar associations were observed
Cumulative 10-y incidence rates of cortical, nuclear, and among participants with BMI ≥25 (Table 4). There was no
PSC cataracts in this cohort were 21.8% (334/1535), 30.8% interaction observed between total diet score and age for any
(337/1094), and 6.8% (117/1724), respectively. Increasing type of cataract (P-interaction >0.05 for all types of cataract).
quartiles of total diet score were not associated with any type
of incident cataract (Table 3, findings from all participants).
After adjusting for age, sex, education level, smoking status, the Discussion
presence of hypertension, diabetes, or myopia, and the use of
inhaled or oral steroids, there was a marginally nonsignificant, In this population-based cohort of older Australians, we did
decreased risk of incident nuclear cataract associated with each not observe any significant associations between healthy diet,
unit increase in total diet score (OR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.87, indicated by high adherence to dietary guidelines, and the
1.01; P = 0.08) (Table 3). No association was evident between incidence of age-related cataract. However, BMI appeared to
increased total diet score and incident cortical (per unit total modify the association between total diet score and incidence
diet score increase, adjusted OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.10; of nuclear cataract. After stratification by BMI: in persons
P = 0.23) or incident PSC cataract (adjusted OR: 1.03; 95% with baseline BMI <25, increasing baseline total diet score
CI: 0.93, 1.13; P = 0.59) (Table 3). was associated with a decreased risk of nuclear cataract
We detected a significant interaction between BMI development in 5–10 y.
and total diet score for nuclear cataract development (P- Although previous studies have reported protective associa-
interaction = 0.04). Analyses stratified by 2 BMI categories tions between diet quality and prevalent nuclear cataract (7–9),
(<25, ≥25 kg/m2 ) showed a 10% decreased risk of incident and we previously reported increasing baseline total diet score
nuclear cataract associated with each unit increase in total associated with low risk of visual impairment development in
diet score among participants with BMI <25, after adjusting the BMES population (6), there has been no study investigating
for the same set of co-variables (OR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.81, whether adherence to dietary guidelines is associated with
0.99; P = 0.02) (Table 4). In this BMI subgroup, there was a cataract development in a population-based cohort. In this
nonsignificant trend (P-trend = 0.08) of decreasing incident current study, we found largely negative findings between

TABLE 4 Association between total diet score and nuclear cataract stratified by BMI categories1

Nuclear cataract
Total diet score n/N OR (95% CI) P2
Participants with BMI <25
Quartile 1 41/117 1.00 (ref.) 0.08
Quartile 2 34/96 1.07 (0.58, 1.97)
Quartile 3 31/104 0.74 (0.40, 1.38)
Quartile 4 38/134 0.64 (0.35, 1.15)
Per unit increase in total diet score 144/451 0.90 (0.81, 0.99) 0.02
Participants with BMI ≥25
Quartile 1 35/160 1.00 (ref.) 0.61
Quartile 2 56/167 1.55 (0.90, 2.65)
Quartile 3 50/170 1.37 (0.79, 2.38)
Quartile 4 46/136 1.25 (0.71, 2.22)
Per unit increase in total diet score 187/633 1.00 (0.92, 1.10) 0.95
1
Models adjusted for baseline age, sex, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, education, use of inhaled or oral steroids, and
myopia. n/N, number of cases/number at risk.
2
P values are P-trend across quartiles.

4 Tan et al.
adherence to dietary guidelines and incident cortical and PSC only be generalizable to other older populations with similar
cataract over 10 y, except for the protective association between demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.
increasing baseline total diet score and decreasing incidence of Strengths of our study include the large population-based
nuclear cataract among participants with BMI <25. sample with reasonably good follow-up (∼75% of survivors),
The reported associations between BMI and nuclear cataract detailed data collection procedures for risk factor information,
have not been consistent, and no overall longitudinal as- and the use of the same standardized cataract grading proce-
sociation was found in the BMES (20), although there is dures to determine cataract status across the 3 examinations.
evidence from a meta-analysis of increasing BMI associated The longitudinal study design provides a clear temporal relation
with increased risk of cataract (21). It may be possible that a between diet at baseline and subsequent cataract development.
combination of healthy diet and healthy BMI is needed to have In summary, healthy diet, indicated by high adherence to

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beneficial effect on cataract development or on aging. As nuclear dietary guidelines, does not have an appreciable influence
cataract may be considered an aging marker (22), our finding overall on cataract formation over the long term in this
could suggest that adherence to a healthy diet and maintaining older Australian population. However, adherence to a healthy
a healthy body weight may be beneficial to biological aging. diet and maintaining healthy BMI appear beneficial to the
Biological aging is a gradual process of accumulation development of nuclear cataract, a marker for biological
of molecular and cellular damages, resulting in declining aging. Further investigation of the link between healthy diet
physiological functioning and capacity (23). The rate of damage and biological aging in different population-based samples is
accumulation can be influenced by a variety of different factors warranted.
from the environment and the individual (23, 24). One of the
main drivers, common to both biological aging and nuclear Acknowledgments
cataract formation, is oxidative stress from increased reactive The authors’ responsibilities were as follows—AGT, JJW, RGC,
oxygen species (ROS) (22, 23). ROS increase during aging as a and PM: designed the research; AGT, JJW, RGC, PM, JR, and
result of a decrease in activity and concentration of antioxidants VMF: conducted research; AGT, AK, and GB: analyzed data
that scavenge ROS (23). Similar processes have been described or performed statistical analyses; AGT, VMF, and JJW: wrote
for nuclear cataract development (22, 25). Higher amounts of the manuscript; AGT and JJW: had primary responsibility for
antioxidants were reported to be associated with decreased risk final content; and all authors: read and approved the final
of nuclear cataract (26–28). manuscript.
Both healthy diets and healthy BMI were documented
beneficial to mortality risk and overall healthy aging (29, 30). References
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