In individuals with T2D, higher concentrations of serum β-carotene were strongly linked with an increased risk for cardiovascular (CV) mortality, according to a study published in Diabetes Care. Investigators who conducted an analysis of 3,107 persons with T2D observed 441 deaths due to CVD during follow-up. Higher serum β-carotene concentrations were strongly linked with an elevated risk for CV mortality, after multivariate adjustment including dietary factors, lifestyles, glucose control, and other major carotenoids. The multivariable-adjusted HR was 2.47 (95% CI, 1.62-3.76) for CV mortality, when extreme quartiles of β-carotene were compared. Additionally, a 46% higher risk for CV mortality was linked with a per one-unit increment in natural log-transformed serum β-carotene. “Our findings, if replicated, underscore the need to estimate the optimal serum β-carotene concentrations in individuals with T2D,” the study authors wrote.
