Search resultsModerate alcoholic beverage intake and early nuclear and cortical lens opacities
Title
Moderate alcoholic beverage intake and early nuclear and cortical lens opacities
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2004
Authors
Journal
Ophthalmic Epidemiology
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pagination
53 - 65
Date published
2004
ISBN
09286586 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adult, Aged, alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, alcoholic beverage, article, beer, Boston, cataract, Cataract etiology, clinical examination, cohort analysis, controlled study, Cortical opacity, drinking behavior, Female, human, Humans, Lens Cortex, Crystalline, Lens Nucleus, Crystalline, Lens opacification, major clinical study, Middle Aged, Nuclear opacity, outcomes research, photography, priority journal, Risk Factors, statistical significance, United States, wine
Abstract
PURPOSE: To study the relationship between alcoholic beverage intake and early lens opacities. METHODS: 556 Boston-area women aged 53-74 years were sampled from the Nurses' Health Study cohort. Degree of opacity was assessed by eye examinations including lens photography. RESULTS: After multivariate adjustment, the odds of a nuclear opacity grade ≥2.3 increased by 30% (OR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.10-1.54) per 10-g increase in total alcohol intake. Furthermore, after control for intake of other alcoholic beverages, the odds of a higher nuclear opacity grade increased by 13% (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02-1.26) for every two additional hard-alcoholic drinks consumed per week, and by 17% (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03-1.33) for every two additional glasses of wine consumed per week. The odds of a cortical opacity grade ≥0.4 decreased by 12 % (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.79-0.98) for every two additional glasses of wine consumed per week, but intake of other alcoholic beverages was unrelated to cortical opacity. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of alcoholic beverages, particularly hard liquor and wine, was positively related to nuclear opacity. Wine drinking was inversely related to cortical opacity.