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Epidemiology

Association of serum γ-tocopherol levels with mortality: the Multiethnic Cohort Study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 74, pages 87–96 (2020)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives

γ-Tocopherol has unique properties that protect against nitrogen oxide-mediated cellular damage. To elucidate the potential role of γ-tocopherol in the aging process, we examined the associations of serum γ-tocopherol levels with all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

Subjects/Methods

Among participants in the biorepository subcohort of the Multiethnic Cohort Study, pre-cancer diagnostic serum γ-tocopherol levels were measured in a subset of 3904 men and 4461 women. Of these, 22.7% of men and 13.5% of women died during a mean follow-up time of 9.6 ± 2.6 years. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for mortality associated with γ-tocopherol were estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results

Positive associations of serum γ-tocopherol with all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular disease mortality (CVD) (Ptrend < 0.05) were detected after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and serum cholesterol levels. The respective HRs (95% CIs) for the highest versus the lowest sex-specific γ-tocopherol quartile were 1.43 (1.17–1.74), 1.79 (1.22–2.64), and 1.52 (1.10–2.11) for men and 1.58 (1.25–2.00), 1.59 (1.05–2.41), and 1.59 (1.07–2.37) for women. Associations remained significant for all-cause mortality among women after further adjusting for smoking variables and history of cancer, CVD, diabetes, and hypertension at cohort entry (highest vs. lowest γ-tocopherol quartile: HR = 1.38; 95% CI = 1.08–1.75; Ptrend = 0.005). Overall, associations with all-cause mortality were consistent across race/ethnicity and were significant in three of ten sex-specific racial/ethnic groups in the fully adjusted models, with no interactions between ethnicity and γ-tocopherol.

Conclusions

The positive association between γ-tocopherol and mortality suggests a potential physiological role for γ-tocopherol in response to pathological conditions.

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Funding

The Multiethnic Cohort has been supported by NCI grants R37 CA54281 and U01 CA164973. The Analytical Biochemistry Shared Resource of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center is supported, in part, by grant P30 CA71789.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA

    Weiwen Chai

  2. Epidemiology Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Gertraud Maskarinec, Adrian A. Franke, Song-Yi Park, Laurence N. Kolonel, Lynne R. Wilkens & Loïc Le Marchand

  3. Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Kristine R. Monroe

  4. Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Robert V. Cooney

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  1. Weiwen Chai
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Contributions

All of the authors made substantial contributions to the study concept, design or analysis, and interpretation of the data. Specifically, WC designed the analysis, analyzed the results, and was the primary author of every section of the text. GM, LRW, and S-YP helped to design the study’s analytic strategy and prepare the materials and methods section of the text. AFF and RVC carried out the biomarker assays. LLM, KRM, and LNK were instrumental in the design of the study, and commented on and approved the paper. RVC and GM originally conceived of the study and helped to draft the paper.

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Correspondence to Weiwen Chai.

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Chai, W., Maskarinec, G., Franke, A.A. et al. Association of serum γ-tocopherol levels with mortality: the Multiethnic Cohort Study. Eur J Clin Nutr 74, 87–96 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-019-0460-7

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