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Galactitol is not a cause of senile cataract

  • Clinical investigations
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Abstract

It has been postulated that the accumulation of sugar alcohol, galactitol, from milk induces cataract in the eye lens through an osmotic mechanism. In this study the concentrations of galactitol and other sugar alcohols (sorbitol, mannitol and inositol) were measured by sensitive gas chromatography in the lenses of 15 patients operated on for senile idiopathic cataracts and in 14 clear lenses removed at autopsy. Large amounts of inositol (mean ± SD, 4.1 ± 3.1 vs 4.7 ± 3.0 μmol/g lens wet weight) and small amounts of mannitol and sorbitol were detected in both study groups. Galactitol levels remained clearly below the detection limit (2 nmol/g) in all lenses. It seems unlikely that senile cataract is a result of the accumulation of galactitol in the eye lens.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, University of Tampere, Box 607, SF-33101, Tampere, Finland

    Heikki Arola & Mauri Isokoski

  2. Department of Clinical Chemistry of Tampere University Central Hospital, Tampere, Finland

    Pekka Sillanaukee & Timo Koivula

  3. Department of Ophthalmology of Tampere University Central Hospital, Tampere, Finland

    Esko Aine

Authors
  1. Heikki Arola
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  2. Pekka Sillanaukee
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  3. Esko Aine
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  4. Timo Koivula
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  5. Mauri Isokoski
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Additional information

This study was supported by grants from the Foundation for Nutrition Research, Emil Aaltonen Foundation and Mary och Georg C. Ehrnrooths Stiftelse

Offprint requests to: H. Arola

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Arola, H., Sillanaukee, P., Aine, E. et al. Galactitol is not a cause of senile cataract. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 230, 240–242 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00176297

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00176297

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