Background: Micronutrients are considered to have an important role in metabolic process. The relationships between micronutrients and diabetic complication, such as retinopathy, are rarely discussed. The main purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between dietary micronutrients and diabetic retinopathy in an adult population. Methods: 5321 participants from National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2008 were included in this cross-sectional study. Diabetic retinopathy was diagnosed by the severity scale of the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) using nonmydriatic fundus photography. Micronutrients were assessed by 24-h dietary recall. The relationship between dietary micronutrients and the occurrence of diabetic retinopathy was analyzed by a logistic regression model. Results: Dietary calcium and potassium were inversely associated with diabetic retinopathy (OR: 0.729, 95%CI: 0.562–0.945; OR: 0.875, 95%CI: 0.787–0.973). Higher quartile of dietary calcium and potassium was associated with lower occurrence of diabetic retinopathy (OR: 0.664, 95%CI: 0.472–0.933; OR: 0.700, 95%CI: 0.495–0.989). Furthermore, increased amounts of dietary calcium and potassium were significantly associated with reduced occurrence of diabetic retinopathy (OR: 0.701, 95%CI: 0.546–0.900; OR: 0.761, 95%CI: 0.596–0.972). Conclusions: Higher levels of dietary calcium and potassium are suggested to reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy with dose–response effect. The evaluation of dietary micronutrients might be a part of treatment for patients with diabetic complications.

Shipyard welders are often exposed to welding metal fumes. Ocular surfaces are continually exposed to environmental hazards. However, limited information on the associations between metal exposure and dry eye metrics in occupational settings is available. This study employed a cross-sectional design that involved the participation of 59 welders and 25 administrative staff in a shipyard in northern Taiwan from September 2020 to October 2020. The participants’ individual information, laboratory data, exposure to particulate matter < 2.5 μm, urinary, and toenail metal concentrations were collected. Dry eye metrics were evaluated using standardized questionnaires and a noninvasive ocular surface analyzer. Urinary V and Cr and toenail V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, As, and Cd and Pb were significantly higher in the exposed group than in the control group. After adjustment for confounding factors, dry eye metrics were associated with urinary Cd (β = 0.407; p = 0.007) and toenail Pb (β = 0.482; p = 0.002). The participants with higher urinary Cd exhibited higher odds ratios for elevated dry eye metrics. Our study revealed that exposure to welding procedures increases several metal biomarkers. In addition, urinary Cd, and toenail Pb might be related to dry eye disease in shipyard welders.

Diets for healthy aging have long been an intriguing issue. The current study makes a head-to-head comparison of four dietary patterns and their associations with soluble Klotho (s-Klotho) levels, an aging-related marker. The dietary data of 7906 subjects were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2016. Each participant was given a score or was grouped according to four dietary patterns, namely the Mediterranean adherence diet score (MDS), the low-carbohydrate-diet score, a low-fat diet, and a low-carbohydrate diet. Subsequently, the associations with s-Klotho were examined using linear regression analyses. In addition, we calculated the odds ratio (OR) for aging in different dietary patterns, taking the lowest quartile of s-Klotho as a reference for aging. The MDS was the only dietary pattern that revealed a relationship with s-Klotho levels. The positive association (β coefficient: 9.41, p < 0.001) remained significant when dividing the MDS into tertiles (Tertile 2: β coefficient: 36.87, p < 0.001; Tertile 3: β coefficient: 45.92, p < 0.001) and grouping participants into subsets by sex, age, and BMI. A lower OR for aging was observed in higher MDS groups (Tertile 2: OR = 0.86, p = 0.026; Tertile 3: OR = 0.77, p < 0.001). However, when analyzed separately, merely three out of nine components of the MDS, namely alcohol consumption (β coefficient: 42.54, p < 0.001), fruit (β coefficient: 11.59, p = 0.029), and dairy products (β coefficient: 8.55, p = 0.032), showed a significant association with s-Klotho. The Mediterranean diet adopts a food-based approach, which has the merit of valuing the complex interactions between foods and their constituents, and further brings benefits to healthy aging.