Increase in Antioxidants Correlated With Reduced Risk of Dementia

A study found individuals with high levels of the antioxidants lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-cryptoxanthin in blood were less likely to develop dementia 16 years later compared with people with lower levels. 

Study participants had antioxidant blood levels measured and were then evaluated as groups with relatively high, mid, and low levels of antioxidants. Every 15.4 mcMol/L, which was 1 standard deviation, increase in lutein and zeaxanthin correlated with a 7% decrease in risk of dementia. Every 8.6 mcMol/L increase, 1 standard deviation, in beta-cryptoxanthin correlated with a 14% reduced risk of dementia.
 
Lutein and zeaxanthin can be found in vegetables like kale, spinach, broccoli, and peas, where beta-cryptoxanthin is found in fruits like oranges, papaya, tangerines, and persimmons.

“Extending people’s cognitive functioning is an important public health challenge,” said study author May A. Beydoun, PhD, MPH, of the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland. “Antioxidants may help protect the brain from oxidative stress, which can cause cell damage. Further studies are needed to test whether adding these antioxidants can help protect the brain from dementia.”
 
The study enrolled 7,283 participants, age 45 or more, who had a physical exam, interview, and blood tests for antioxidant levels at the beginning of the study. The participants were followed for a mean 16 years to evaluate dementia development.

“It’s important to note that the effect of these antioxidants on the risk of dementia was reduced somewhat when we took into account other factors such as education, income and physical activity, so it’s possible that those factors may help explain the relationship between antioxidant levels and dementia,” Beydoun said.