Effects of the consumption of cigarettes, alcohol and foods on serum concentrations of carotenoids, retinol and tocopherols in healthy inhabitants living in a rural area of Hokkaido.

The relationship between serum concentrations of carotenoids, tocopherols and retinol and the consumption of cigarettes, alcohol and foods was investigated in 835 healthy inhabitants (aged 35-79 years) of a rural area of Hokkaido. Serum concentrations of beta-carotene (BC), alpha-carotene (AC), lycopene (LY), beta-cryptoxanthin (BX), zeaxanthin (including lutein, ZX), canthaxanthin (CX) and beta-tocopherol (including gamma-tocopherol, BT) were higher in females than in males, while serum retinol (RE) concentrations were lower. Serum alpha-tocopherol (AT) concentrations were the same for both sexes. The serum values of BC, BX, AC, LY and ZX for males were inversely associated with the consumption of cigarettes in multiple-regression analysis. The serum values of BC, AC and BX for males were inversely associated with alcohol consumption, while serum RE values were positively related to alcohol consumption for both sexes. There were significant relations between serum values of BC, AC, and ZX and the intake frequencies of carrots, tomatoes, milk and/or green-leaf vegetables, especially for females, and between serum BX values and the intake of oranges, juices and fruits. Serum RE and AT concentrations were not associated with any food intake, and BT concentrations were associated with the intake of tomatoes and juices for males.