Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T00:48:03.009Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Association of carotenoids, tocopherols and vitamin C in plasma with allergic rhinitis and allergic sensitisation in adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Iris Kompauer ,
Joachim Heinrich ,
Guenther Wolfram  and
Jakob Linseisen
Iris Kompauer
Affiliation:
GSF – National Research Center for Environment and Health, Institute of Epidemiology, PO Box 1129, D-85758, Neuherberg, Germany Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Institute of Medical Data Management, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Munich, Germany
Joachim Heinrich*
Affiliation:
GSF – National Research Center for Environment and Health, Institute of Epidemiology, PO Box 1129, D-85758, Neuherberg, Germany
Guenther Wolfram
Affiliation:
Department of Food and Nutrition, TU Munich, Munich, Germany
Jakob Linseisen
Affiliation:
Unit of Human Nutrition and Cancer Prevention, TU Munich, Munich, Germany Division of Clinical Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany
*
*Corresponding author: Email joachim.heinrich@gsf.de
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objectives

Antioxidant nutrients like carotenoids, tocopherols and vitamin C have been suggested to protect against allergic rhinitis and allergic sensitisation but scientific evidence is scarce. The aims of the study were to measure the plasma concentration of six carotenoids, α- and γ-tocopherol and vitamin C as biomarkers of the intake, absorption and subsequent metabolism of these nutrients, and to assess their association with allergic rhinitis and sensitisation.

Method

Data from a cross-sectional study on representative dietary and lifestyle habits of the population of Bavaria, Germany, were analysed. The plasma levels of six carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, lutein/zeaxanthin, canthaxanthin and cryptoxanthin) as well as of α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol and vitamin C were measured in 547 adults aged between 19 and 81 years. Participants with specific serum immunoglobulin E ≥700 U l−1 were categorised as sensitised. The association of plasma antioxidant levels, allergic rhinitis and allergic sensitisation was assessed by means of unconditional logistic regression models.

Results

We observed a negative association between plasma total carotenoids and the prevalence of allergic rhinitis, with odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 1.13 (0.54–2.39) for the second, 0.72 (0.33–1.58) for the third and 0.44 (0.19–1.03) for the fourth quartile of total carotenoids concentration (P for trend = 0.0332); results for lycopene failed to reach statistical significance (P = 0.0608). Other single carotenoids, tocopherols and vitamin C were unrelated to allergic rhinitis. Allergic sensitisation was negatively associated with plasma γ-tocopherol, with odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 0.92 (0.51–1.65) for the second, 1.00 (0.56–1.80) for the third and 0.45 (0.23–0.88) for the fourth quartile of plasma γ-tocopherol concentration (P for trend = 0.0410). No other antioxidant was significantly related to allergic sensitisation.

Conclusions

High plasma carotenoid concentrations reflecting a diet high in various fruits and vegetables might have a protective effect on allergic rhinitis in adulthood.

Keywords

AntioxidantsBiomarkersAllergic rhinitisAllergic sensitisation
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 9 , Issue 4 , June 2006 , pp. 472 - 479
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2006

References

1Burr, ML, Butland, BK, King, S, Vaughan-Williams, E. Changes in asthma prevalence: two surveys 15 years apart. Archives of Disease in Childhood 1989; 64: 1452–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Anderson, H, Butland, B, Strachan, D. Trends in prevalence and severity of childhood asthma. British Medical Journal 1994; 308: 1600–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3Braun-Fahrlander, C, Gassner, M, Grize, L, Takken-Sahli, K, Neu, U, Stricker, T, et al. No further increase in asthma, hay fever and atopic sensitisation in adolescents living in Switzerland. European Respiratory Journal 2004; 23: 407–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4Ronchetti, R, Villa, MP, Barreto, M, Rota, R, Pagani, J, Martella, S, et al. Is the increase in childhood asthma coming to an end? Findings from three surveys of schoolchildren in Rome, Italy. European Respiratory Journal 2001; 17: 881–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Verlato, G, Corsico, A, Villani, S, Cerveri, I, Migliore, E, Accordini, S, et al. Is the prevalence of adult asthma and allergic rhinitis still increasing? Results of an Italian study. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2003; 111: 1232–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Fogarty, A, Britton, J. The role of diet in the aetiology of asthma. Clinical and Experimental Allergy 2000; 30: 615–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7Soutar, A, Seaton, A, Brown, K. Bronchial reactivity and dietary antioxidants. Thorax 1998; 52: 166–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8Monteleone, CA, Sherman, AR. Nutrition and asthma. Archives of Internal Medicine 1997; 157: 23–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Bowler, RP, Crapo, JD. Oxidative stress in allergic respiratory diseases. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2002; 110: 349–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10Mayne, ST. Antioxidant nutrients and chronic disease: use of biomarkers of exposure and oxidative stress status in epidemiologic research. Journal of Nutrition 2003; 133: 933S–40S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11McKeever, TM, Britton, J. Diet and asthma. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2004; 170: 725–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12Li-Weber, M, Giaisi, M, Treiber, MK, Krammer, PH. Vitamin E inhibits IL-4 gene expression in peripheral blood T cells. European Journal of Immunology 2002; 32: 2401–8.3.0.CO;2-S>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13McKeever, TM, Lewis, SA, Smit, H, Burney, P, Britton, J, Cassano, PA. Serum nutrient markers and skin prick testing using data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2004; 114: 1398–402.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14Fogarty, A, Lewis, S, Weiss, S, Britton, J. Dietary vitamin E, IgE concentrations, and atopy. Lancet 2000; 356: 1573–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Nagel, G, Nieters, A, Becker, N, Linseisen, J. The influence of the dietary intake of fatty acids and antioxidants on hay fever in adults. Allergy 2003; 58: 1277–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16Slimani, N, Ferrari, P, Ocké, M, Welch, A, Boeing, H, Liere, M, et al. Standardization of the 24-hour diet recall calibration method used in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC): general concepts and preliminary results. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2000; 54: 900–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17Hess, D, Keller, HE, Oberlin, B, Bonfanti, F, Schüep, W. Simultaneous determination of retinol, tocopherols, carotenes and lycopene in plasma by means of high-performance liquid chromatography on reversed phase. International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research 1991; 61: 232–8.Google ScholarPubMed
18Speitling, A, Hüppe, R, Kohlmeier, M, Matiaske, B, Stelte, W, Thefeld, W, et al. Methodenhandbuch VERA. In: Kübler, W, Anders, HJ, Heeschen, W, eds. VERA Series Vol. 1. Niederkleen: Wissenschaftlicher Fachverlag Dr Fleck, 1992; 100–2.Google Scholar
19Olmedilla, B, Granado, F, Southon, S, Wright, AJA, Blanco, I, Gil-Martinez, E, et al. Serum concentrations of carotenoids and vitamins A, E, and C in control subjects from five European countries. British Journal of Nutrition 2001; 85: 227–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20Al-Delaimy, WK, van Kappel, AL, Ferrari, P, Slimani, N, Steghens, JP, Bingham, S, et al. Plasma levels of six carotenoids in nine European countries: report from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Public Health Nutrition 2004; 7: 713–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21Hunter, D. Biochemical indicators of dietary intake. In: Willett, W, ed. Nutritional Epidemiology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998; 174–243.Google Scholar
22Parker, RS, Swanson, JE, You, CS, Edwards, AJ, Huang, T. Bioavailability of carotenoids in human subjects. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 1999; 58: 155–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23Forastiere, F, Pistelli, R, Sestini, P, Fortes, C, Renzoni, E, Rusconi, F, et al. Consumption of fresh fruit rich in vitamin C and wheezing symptoms in children. SIDRIA Collaborative Group, Italy (Italian Studies on Respiratory Disorders in Children and the Environment). Thorax 2000; 55: 283–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24Woods, RK, Walters, EH, Raven, JM, Wolfe, R, Ireland, PD, Thien, FC, et al. Food and nutrient intakes and asthma risk in young adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2003; 78: 414–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25Heinrich, J, Hoelscher, B, Bolte, G, Winkler, G. Allergic sensitization and diet: ecological analysis in selected European cities. European Respiratory Journal 2001; 17: 395–402.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26Ellwood, P, Asher, MI, Bjoerksten, B, Burr, M, Pearce, N, Robertson, CF and the ISAAC Phase One Study Group. Diet and asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic eczema symptom prevalence: an ecological analysis of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) data. European Respiratory Journal 2000; 17: 436–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27Shahar, E, Hassoun, G, Pollack, S. Effect of vitamin E supplementation on the regular treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 2004; 92: 654–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28Brigelius-Flohé, R, Kelly, FJ, Salonen, JT, Neuzil, J, Zingg, JM, Azzi, A. The European perspective on vitamin E: current knowledge and future research. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002; 76: 703–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29Christen, S, Woodall, AA, Shigenaga, MK, Southwell-Keely, PT, Duncan, MW, Ames, BN. γ-Tocopherol traps mutagenic electrophiles such as NOx and complements α-tocopherol: physiological implications. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 1997; 94: 3217–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30Jiang, Q, Christen, S, Shigenaga, MK, Ames, BN. γ-Tocopherol, the major form of vitamin E in the US diet, deserves more attention. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2001; 74: 714–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31Jiang, Q, Elson-Schwab, I, Courtemanche, C, Ames, BN. γ-Tocopherol and its major metabolite, in contrast to α-tocopherol, inhibit cyclooxygenase activity in macro-phages and epithelial cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 2000; 97: 11494–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
32Huang, HY, Appel, LJ. Supplementation of diets with α-tocopherol reduces serum concentrations of γ- and δ-tocopherol in humans. Journal of Nutrition 2003; 133: 3137–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
33Tamimi, RM, Hankinson, SE, Campos, H, Spiegelman, D, Zhang, S, Colditz, GA, et al. Plasma carotenoids, retinol, and tocopherols and risk of breast cancer. American Journal of Epidemiology 2005; 161: 153–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed