Background: Several epidemiologic studies have reported an inverse association between serum levels of carotenoids and cardiovascular disease risk. However, no studies have reported an association between serum carotenoids and N-terminal pro-brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in the general population.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we investigated whether serum carotenoids were associated with serum NT-proBNP in 1056 Japanese subjects (390 men, 666 women) who attended a health examination. Serum levels of carotenoids were separately determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Serum NT-proBNP level was measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.
Results: Serum NT-proBNP was elevated (≥55 pg/ml) in 31.8% of men and 48.2% of women. Multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for confounding factors showed a significant association between the highest quartile of serum α-carotene and elevated NT-proBNP in men (odds ratio [OR] = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.19-0.82, P for trend = 0.005) and women (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.39-0.99, P for trend = 0.047). In women, moreover, elevated serum NT-proBNP was significantly associated with serum canthaxanthin (OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.36-0.90 for highest quartile, P for trend = 0.026) and β-cryptoxanthin (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.32-0.85 for highest quartile, P for trend = 0.026), after adjusting for potential confounders.
Conclusions: Higher levels of serum carotenoids were associated with lower risk of elevated serum NT-proBNP levels after adjusting for possible confounders, which suggests that a diet rich in carotenoids could help prevent cardiac overload in the Japanese population.
【背景】: いくつかの観察的疫学研究は血清カロテノイドの高値が心血管疾患死亡率低下と関連することを示唆している。しかし一般住民を対象として血清カロテノイド値と心負荷マーカーである血清NT-proBNP値との関連について調査した研究はない。
【方法】: 日本人の住民健診受診者1056人（男390人、女666人）を対象として血清カロテノイド値とNT-proBNP値との関連について調査を行った。血清カロテノイド値は高速液体クロマトグラフィーにより分画測定し、血清NT-proBNP値は電気化学発光免疫測定法により測定した。
【結果】: 血清NT-proBNP値が55pg/ml以上の者の割合は、男で31.8％、女性で48.2％であった。血清カロテノイド値を性別に4等分し、交絡要因を調整した血清NT-proBNP高値（55pg/ml以上）のオッズ比を求めたところ、男女ともに血清α-カロテンの最高値群で有意に低いオッズ比を得た(男性：OR = 0.40、95%CI = 0.19-0.82、女性：OR = 0.62、95%CI = 0.39-0.99)。 さらに女性では血清カンタキサンチンとβ-クリプトキサンチンの最高値群もNT-proBNP高値のオッズ比は有意に低かった(カンタキサンチン最高値群：OR = 0.57、95%CI = 0.36-0.90、β-クリプトキサンチン最高値群：OR = 0.53、95%CI = 0.32-0.85)。
【結論】: 日本人住民健診受診者を対象として、α-カロテンなどのいくつかの血清カロテノイドの高値は血清NT-proBNP高値のリスク低下との関連を認めた。カロテノイドの豊富な食事の摂取は、心負荷リスクの軽減に関与する可能性が示唆された。