Dietary carotenoids and risk of coronary artery disease in women.

Regular consumption of high carotenoid diets, especially those rich in alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, may significantly cut down coronary artery disease (CAD) risk in women.

This study examined dietary intake of carotenoid-rich foods in relation to the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in women. Researchers collated and analyzed data on dietary consumption rate and coronary artery disease (CAD) hazard ratio of 73,286 female nurses.

The team of investigators observed that high dietary ingestion of foods rich in beta-carotene and alpha-carotene decreased the likelihood of developing coronary artery disease in women. On the other hand, generous intake of lutein/zeaxanthin, lycopene, or beta-cryptoxanthin was found to have no significant effect on coronary artery disease risk in this study. The results of this study demonstrate that a significant reduction in coronary artery disease risk in women is associated with habitual consumption of foods with high alpha- and beta-carotene content.