Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cataract: insights from the UK Biobank study

A prospective cohort study to investigate the association between fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake and the risk of cataract.

We included 72,160 participants who were free of cataract at baseline from the UK Biobank. Frequency and type of F&V intake were assessed using a web-based 24 h dietary questionnaire from 2009 to 2012. Development of cataract during the follow-up was defined by self-report or hospital inpatient records up to 2021. Cox proportional regression models were used to estimate the association between F&V intake and incident cataract.

During a mean follow-up of 9.1 years, 5753 participants developed cataract with a corresponding incidence of 8.0%. After adjusting for multiple demographic, medical and lifestyle covariates, higher intake of F&V were associated with a lower risk of cataract (≥6.5 vs. <2 servings/week: hazards ratio [HR]: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.76 to 0.89; P < 0.0001). Regarding specific types, significant reduced risk of cataract was found for higher intake of legumes (P = 0.0016), tomatoes (≥5.2 vs. <1.8 servings/week: HR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.88 to 1.00), and apple and pear (>7 vs. <3.5 servings/week: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.83 to 0.94; P < 0.0001), but not for cruciferous vegetables, green leafy vegetables, berry, citrus fruit or melon. Smokers were found to benefit more from F&V intake than former and never smokers. Men also could benefit more from higher vegetable intake than women.

More F&V intake, especially legumes, tomatoes, apple, and pear, was associated with a lower risk of cataract in this UK Biobank cohort.