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Age-related cataract in a randomized trial of vitamins E and C in men.

Author(s): Christen WG, Glynn RJ, Sesso HD, Kurth T, MacFadyen J, Bubes V, Buring JE, Manson JE, Gaziano JM

Affiliation(s): Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215-1204, USA. wchristen@rics.bwh.harvard.edu

Publication date & source: 2010-11, Arch Ophthalmol., 128(11):1397-405.

Publication type: Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

OBJECTIVE: To test whether supplementation with alternate-day vitamin E or daily vitamin C affects the incidence of age-related cataract in a large cohort of men. METHODS: In a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial, 11,545 apparently healthy US male physicians 50 years or older without a diagnosis of cataract at baseline were randomly assigned to receive 400 IU of vitamin E or placebo on alternate days and 500 mg of vitamin C or placebo daily. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incident cataract responsible for a reduction in best-corrected visual acuity to 20/30 or worse based on self-report confirmed by medical record review. APPLICATION TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Long-term use of vitamin E and C supplements has no appreciable effect on cataract. RESULTS: After 8 years of treatment and follow-up, 1174 incident cataracts were confirmed. There were 579 cataracts in the vitamin E-treated group and 595 in the vitamin E placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-1.11). For vitamin C, there were 593 cataracts in the treated group and 581 in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.91-1.14). CONCLUSION: Long-term alternate-day use of 400 IU of vitamin E and daily use of 500 mg of vitamin C had no notable beneficial or harmful effect on the risk of cataract. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00270647.

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