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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: A prospective study of the relationship between body mass index and cataract extraction among US women and men.

Authors: Weintraub, J M; Willett, W C; Rosner, B; Colditz, G A; Seddon, J M; Hankinson, S E

Published In Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord, (2002 Dec)

Abstract: 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/m(2), those with BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m(2) had 36% higher risk of any type of cataract (pooled multivariate relative risk (RR), 1.36; 95% CI, 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% CI, 1.55-2.55). With adjustment for diabetes, the RR of obesity associated with posterior subcapsular cataract was 1.68 (95% CI, 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.

PubMed ID: 12461675 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Aged; Body Mass Index; Cataract Extraction/statistics & numerical data*; Cataract/etiology*; Cohort Studies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Obesity/complications*; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors

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