Dietary antioxidant nutrients intake and pneumonia mortality in Japanese men and women: the Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study.

Ling ZHA; Tetsuhisa KITAMURA; Taiki YAMAJI; Motoki IWASAKI; Manami INOUE; Shoichiro TSUGANE; Norie SAWADA

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Dietary antioxidant nutrients intake and pneumonia mortality in Japanese men and women: the Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study.

Author: Ling ZHA ¹ ; Tetsuhisa KITAMURA ¹ ; Taiki YAMAJI ² ; Motoki IWASAKI ² ; Manami INOUE ³ ; Shoichiro TSUGANE ³ ; Norie SAWADA ³
Author Information

1. Environmental Medicine and Population Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Osaka.
2. Division of Epidemiology, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center.
3. Division of Cohort Research, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Antioxidant nutrients; Cohort study; Cryptoxanthin; Lycopene; Pneumonia mortality; Vitamin C; Vitamin E
MeSH: Humans; Male; Japan/epidemiology*; Female; Prospective Studies; Middle Aged; Pneumonia/mortality*; Antioxidants/administration & dosage*; Diet/statistics & numerical data*; Aged; Adult; Nutrients; East Asian People
From:Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;30():68-68
CountryJapan
Language:English
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Pneumonia is a major global public health concern. Taking antioxidant nutrients has attracted attention for their potential role in reducing pneumonia mortality. Although studies in Western countries have evaluated this association, the current evidence remains controversial, and research in Asia remains limited. This cohort study investigated the association between dietary antioxidant nutrients intake and pneumonia mortality in Japanese population.
METHODS:Data were collected from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study between 1995 and 1998, with follow-up until the end of 2018. The intake of antioxidant nutrients was assessed using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. The Cox proportional hazard model was employed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and p-trends for pneumonia mortality, adjusting for potential confounding factors including age, area, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol intake, physical activity, postmenopausal status, occupation, coffee intake, green tea intake, antihypertensive medication use, vitamin-supplement use, and total energy intake.
RESULTS:The analysis included data from 39,850 men and 46,705 women. Over a median follow-up of 20.8 years, 813 men and 477 women died from pneumonia. The multivariable model revealed that a higher intake of cryptoxanthin (p-trend = 0.027 in men; 0.019 in women), lycopene (p-trend = 0.016 in women), vitamin C (p-trend = 0.022 in men), and vitamin E (p-trend = 0.031 in women) was significantly associated with a reduction in pneumonia mortality.
CONCLUSIONS:Higher dietary intake of cryptonxanthin, lycopene, and vitamins C and E was associated with a low risk of pneumonia mortality in Japanese adults.