Plasma carotenoids and medial temporal lobe atrophy in older adults.
Clinical Nutrition. 2021-04-01; 40(4): 2460-2463
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2020.09.056
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Thomas A(1), Proust-Lima C(2), Baillet M(2), Helmer C(2), Delcourt C(2), Foubert-Samier A(3), Catheline G(4), Féart C(2), Samieri C(2).
Author information:
(1)Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BPH, U1219, F-33000, Bordeaux, France. Electronic address: .
(2)Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BPH, U1219, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.
(3)Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BPH, U1219, F-33000, Bordeaux, France; Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Bordeaux Univ. Hospital, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.
(4)Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences cognitives et intégratives d’Aquitaine, UMR 5287, EPHE-PSL, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Carotenoids are vegetable pigments with neuroprotective
properties. Clinical studies found efficacy of specific carotenoids on improving
brain perfusion and functioning with aging. However, evidence of an effect on
neurodegeneration, which may require longer follow-up period to observe, is more
limited. Leveraging biomarkers from a large population-based cohort study of
older adults, we investigated whether blood carotenoids were associated with
atrophy of the medial temporal lobe (a biomarker of neurodegeneration in aging)
over 10 years.
METHODS: This study included 461 dementia-free participants from the Three-City
Bordeaux study (aged ≥65) who had plasma carotenoids measured at baseline and up
to three repeated brain imaging exams in the subsequent 10 years.
RESULTS: In adjusted linear mixed models, each increase of 1 SD in plasma level
of total carotenoids and of β-carotene was associated with 0.02 cm3 (95% CI,
0.001-0.04; P = 0.04) and 0.02 cm3 (95% CI, 0.01-0.04; P = 0.008) smaller medial
temporal lobe volume loss per year, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results based on a unique long-term prospective evaluation of a
neuroimaging biomarker suggest a beneficial role of carotenoids for the
prevention of age-related neurodegeneration.
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and
Metabolism. All rights reserved.
Conflict of interest statement: Conflict of interest A.T., C.P-L., M.B., G.C. and
C.S. report no conflict of interest. C.H. received fees for board from Roche.
C.D. is a consultant for Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, Novartis and Laboratoires Théa,
and received research grants from Laboratoires Théa. A.F-S. received fees from
LVL medical. C.F. received fees for conferences from Nutricia, Danone Institute
and Laboratoire Lescuyer.