High β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin are associated with low pulse wave velocity

Antioxidants are potentially beneficial in preventing vascular complications in diabetes because oxidative stress would be enhanced in such a condition and play an important role in vascular disorders. This study aimed to investigate whether brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) would be lower in the presence of high serum carotenoid concentrations stratified according to the glycemic state. A total of 297 men and 579 women between 30 and 70 years of age were analyzed cross-sectionally. Multivariate adjusted mean of baPWV in the highest tertile for β-carotene (1386 cm/s) was lower than that in the lowest tertile (1432 cm/s) and that in the highest tertile for β-cryptoxanthin (1382 cm/s) was lower than that in the middle tertile (1424 cm/s) in the case of normal fasting glucose. Similar inverse associations were observed in a group that included subjects with both impaired fasting glucose and diabetes, however, without statistical significance. The highest tertile of carotenoids was associated with a low risk for high baPWV (≥1680 cm/s). Age, sex and glycemic state adjusted odds ratio was 0.35 (95% CI 0.20–0.60) for β-carotene and 0.45 (0.27–0.77) for β-cryptoxanthin. Multivariate adjustment did not alter the results. In conclusion, an inverse association of baPWV with β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin was observed independently of the glycemic state.