Micronutrient intake and the risk of herpes zoster: a case–control study
Open Access
- 5 December 2005
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in International Journal of Epidemiology
- Vol. 35 (2), 307-314
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyi270
Abstract
Background Herpes zoster can seriously impair quality of life and may also be a marker for age-related immune decline (immunosenescence). Diets low in micronutrients may increase the risk of zoster by temporarily compromising cell-mediated immune function or by hastening immunosenescence. Methods Primary objectives were to examine the association between risk of zoster and (i) dietary intake of vitamins A, B6, C, E, folic acid, zinc, and iron, and (ii) fruit and vegetable consumption. We conducted a community-based case–control study. Cases were adults with incident zoster presenting to 22 general practices in London. Controls were individuals with no zoster history, matched to cases by age, sex, and general practice. Diet was ascertained for 243 cases and 483 controls using an interviewer-administered food-frequency questionnaire. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios. Results There was a strong graded association between lower fruit intake and increasing zoster risk; in adjusted analysis, individuals who ate less than one piece of fruit per week had more than three times the risk of zoster compared with individuals who ate more than three portions per day. None of the dietary intakes of the seven micronutrients examined had a statistically significant association with zoster risk when considered singly. However, amongst individuals aged >60 years, a measure of combined micronutrient intake and vegetable intake showed similar dose-related associations with zoster risk. Conclusion A cocktail of nutrients such as those found in fruit and vegetables may act together, particularly in older individuals, to maintain immune health and prevent zoster.Keywords
This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- Contacts with varicella or with children and protection against herpes zoster in adults: a case-control studyThe Lancet, 2002
- The Boyd Orr Lecture: Nutrition interventions in aging and age-associated diseaseProceedings Of The Nutrition Society, 2002
- Clinical Relevance of Age-Related Immune DysfunctionClinical Infectious Diseases, 2000
- Validation of dietary assessment methods in the UK arm of EPIC using weighed records, and 24-hour urinary nitrogen and potassium and serum vitamin C and carotenoids as biomarkersInternational Journal of Epidemiology, 1997
- Nutrition and Immunity in the Elderly: Clinical SignificanceNutrition Reviews, 1995
- Exercise and the immune system: a model of the stress response?Immunology Today, 1994
- Depressed immune functions in the early phase of varicella‐zoster virus reactivationJournal of Medical Virology, 1993
- The Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Vitamins A, C and E on Cell-mediated Immune Function in Elderly Long-stay Patients: A Randomized Controlled TrialAge and Ageing, 1991
- Heterogeneity of immune responsiveness in healthy elderly subjectsClinical Immunology and Immunopathology, 1988
- Diets of Bank Clerks Development of a Method of Classifying the Diets of Individuals for Use in Epidemiological StudiesJournal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A (General), 1961