Non-dietary correlates and determinants of plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations in the Irish population

Objective To investigate non-dietary correlates and determinants of plasma lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) concentrations in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) sample. Setting Community dwelling adults in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). Participants: 3,681 participants aged 50 years and older. Measurements TILDA is a nationally representative prospective cohort study of community dwelling adults aged 50 years and over in the ROI. Demographic and health variables were collected during a face-to-face interview carried out in the home (n=8175), and a substantial proportion of these (n=5035; 62%) also attended a study visit in a health assessment centre. Blood samples collected at baseline (wave 1, the subject of the current study), were analysed for plasma concentrations of L and Z by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, and macular pigment (MP) optical density was also measured (using customized heterochromatic flicker photometry). Results After excluding participants with eye disease, data from 3,681 participants were available for analysis. For this group of participants, plasma L and Z were inversely and significantly associated with body mass index (BMI), and were positively and significantly associated with MP, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (p