Associations of nutrient intakes with glaucoma among Japanese Americans

The aim of this study was to investigate possible associations of nutrient intake on glaucoma in subjects of Japanese descent living in Los Angeles, CA. In this cross-sectional study, 581 Japanese American participants in Los Angeles underwent an interview, fundus photography, comprehensive physical, and blood examinations, along with determining the body mass index status and any confounding factors. CDSketch was used to measure the cup-disc ratio and rim width of each fundus in the retinal photographs. A multivariate logistic regression test with adjustment for confounding factors was used to assess the association between glaucoma and nutrient intake. A total of 61 of 581 participants were diagnosed with glaucoma in this study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a high intake of iron (odds ratio [OR]: 1.303, P = .004), low intake of vitamin A (OR: 0.365, P = .019), and vegetable fat (OR: 0.957, P = .004) were associated with an increased risk of glaucoma. Current findings showed that high iron intake and low vitamin A and vegetable fat intake appeared to be associated with an increased risk of glaucoma in subjects of Japanese descent living in the Los Angeles populations.