Year: 2011
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Most clinical trials have shown no effect of antioxidant supplements on cognition in older adults. However, one large trial found that men assigned to very long-term beta carotene supplementation demonstrated better cognitive function than those receiving placebo, although the trial only had a single measure of cognition at its close, and thus could not identify rates of cognitive decline. To explore this area further, we examined long-term intake of total and individual carotenoids in relation to cognitive decline over six years. Few other epidemiologic studies have specifically considered carotenoids. Beginning in 1995-2000, we measured cognitive function in 16,010 participants of the Nurses’ Health Study, aged = 70 years; follow-up cognitive assessments were conducted three times, at two-year intervals. Dietary information was collected repeatedly beginning in 1980, with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire approximately every four years; we averaged carotenoid intakes from 1980 through the initial cognitive interview to measure long-term intake. We used multivariable-adjusted, mixed linear regression to obtain mean differences in slopes of cognitive decline across quintiles of carotenoid intake (total carotenoids, alpha carotene, beta carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin, lycopene, and beta cryptoxanthin). In models adjusted for age and education, higher lycopene intake was significantly associated with slower cognitive decline (e.g., p-trend = 0.02 for a global score, averaging together all six tests in our cognitive battery). For example, after adjusting for age and education, participants in the highest quintile of lycopene intake had a mean slope of decline in the global score that was 0.05 standard units less (95% CI: 0.00-0.10) compared to those in the lowest quintile. This mean difference is similar to difference we observe for women one to two years apart in age, suggesting that increasing intake of lycopene might delay cognitive aging by one to two years. The association remained after additional adjustment for multiple potential confounders. Alpha carotene, beta carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin, or beta cryptoxanthin were not associated with cognitive decline. Long-term consumption of lycopene-rich foods may be associated with modest delays in cognitive aging, although the relation with other carotenoids is less clear. This area merits further research.
Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia
Authors: Elizabeth Devore, Francine Grodstein
Institution: Brigham and Women's Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2062366672