The association between Dietary Phytochemical Index and Mediterranean-style Dietary Pattern Score with the risk of cataract

Background

Half of all cases of blindness are due to cataract. It has been debated whether diets high in polyphenols and antioxidants reduce the risk of cataract. In the present case-control study, we aimed to evaluate the possible association between cataract risk and diet, using calculations of the Dietary Phytochemical Index (DPI) and Mediterranean-style Dietary Pattern Score (MSDPS).

Methods

157 patients with senile cataract were compared to 323 controls who had undergone eye examination during the past year and were not diagnosed with cataract. A validated food frequency questionnaire measured the participant’s habitual diet. The risk of cataract for MSDPS and DPI was assessed by crude and adjusted odds ratios based on multivariate logistic regression analysis, accounting for age and sex.

Results

Analysis was performed on 157 cases and 323 controls. Age, weight, and energy intake significantly differed between the two groups. MSDPS (p = 0.003) and DPI (p = 0.04) were higher in the patients with cataract. A significant association was found regarding DPI in the crude model, indicating that participants of the third quartile of DPI are at 2.34 times higher risk of cataract than the participants in the first quartile (OR: 2.34, 95% CI= 1.34; 4.09).

Conclusions

MSDPS was not significantly associated with cataract risk in crude and adjusted models, although an ascending trend could be observed (p-trend of the crude model= 0.05). A positive association between DPI and cataract risk was found, while this association was not significant for MSDPS. Further studies among newly diagnosed patients with cataract are required.