Nutrient Intake and Retinopathy: The Tromsø Study

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Retinopathy is a retinal disorder characterized by microvascular complications due to ocular or systemic conditions. The non-invasive visualization of retinal blood vessels provides a way to study the early structural and pathological changes in the circulatory system. Hence retinopathies can be used to monitor risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Several studies have explored the association between nutrients and retinopathies in specific groups of people, however, there is limited evidence regarding their association in the general population. Objectives: This study was to investigate the association between the intake of various nutrients and retinopathy in a general Norwegian adult population. Method: The cross-sectional study utilized data from the seventh Tromsø survey (2015-2016) to investigate the association between macronutrients and retinopathy. The final sample consisted of 4,724 participants. Descriptive statistics, including percentages, mean, and standard deviation, were calculated and presented based on retinopathy status. Chi-square tests and t-tests were conducted to assess differences between groups. Odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) from binary logistic regression analysis were used to examine the association between macronutrients and retinopathy. All analyses were stratified by diabetes using the statistical software STATA. Results: Findings from this study revealed an association only in polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) and monounsaturated fat (MUFA). In the fully adjusted model, intake of MUFA (OR 0.95 (95% CI 0.92-0.99)) and PUFA (OR 0.9 (95% CI 0.85-0.96)) were associated with decreased odds of retinopathy. However, this association was only significant in the group without diabetes. No significant association between the intake of any other macronutrient and retinopathy was found in the studied population. Conclusion: Based on the current findings, no significant association was observed between macronutrients and retinopathy except in MUFA and PUFA. Further studies are required to investigate this association more comprehensively and prospectively.