Linked Life Data

8917800

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/8917800

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
18
pubmed:dateCreated
1996-12-11
pubmed:abstractText
The foveal region of the retina has a yellow pigmentation composed primarily of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. Past studies have shown that cigarette smoking depresses carotenoid concentrations in the blood. This is the first report on the effects of cigarette smoking on carotenoids in the retina. Macular pigment optical density (MP) was measured psychophysically by comparing foveal and parafoveal sensitivities to light of 460 and 550 nm. General dietary patterns, smoking frequency (cigaretts/day) and personal data were collected by questionnaire. Thirty-four smokers and 34 nonsmokers were compared. Subjects were matched with respect to age, sex, dietary patterns and overall pigmentation (i.e., eye, skin and hair color). The smoking group had a mean MP of 0.16 (SD = 0.12) compared to a mean MP of 0.34 (SD = 0.15) for nonsmokers (P < 0.0001). MP density and smoking frequency were inversely related (r = -0.498 P < 0.001) in a dose-response relationship. A variety of evidence suggests that MP protects the macula from actinic damage both passively (by screening potentially harmful short-wave light) and actively as an antioxidant (e.g., by quenching reactive oxygen species). If smoking causes a reduction in MP density, then smokers may be at risk. Epidemiologic data identifying smoking as a risk factor for the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration are consistent with this hypothesis.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Sep
pubmed:issn
0042-6989
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
36
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
3003-9
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1996
pubmed:articleTitle
Cigarette smoking and retinal carotenoids: implications for age-related macular degeneration.
pubmed:affiliation
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA 02114, USA. Rhammond@vision.eri.harvard.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Comparative Study, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't