(RxWiki News) Alpha-carotene, when found in high amounts in blood levels, appears to be linked to a reduced risk of dying over a 14-year period, according to a new report.
Chaoyang Li, M.D., Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed the relationship between alpha-carotene, an antioxidant, and mortality risk among 15,318 adults age 20 and older. Participants underwent a medical exam and provided blood samples between 1988 and 1994 for the study. They were followed through 2006.
A total of 3,810 patients died during the study, and the risk of dying was lower in individuals with high levels of beta-carotene in the blood. Compared with individuals with blood alpha-carotene levels between 0 and 1 micrograms per deciliter, the risk of death during the study period was 23 percent lower among who had concentrations between 2 and 3 micrograms per deciliter, 27 percent lower with levels between 4 and 5 micrograms per deciliter, 34 percent lower with levels between 6 and 8 micrograms per deciliter and 39 percent lower with levels of 9 micrograms per deciliter or higher.
"The association between serum alpha-carotene concentrations (blood level) and risk of death from all causes was significant in most subgroups stratified by demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits and health risk factors," according to the report's authors.
