Document Detail


High-dose antioxidant supplements and cognitive function in community-dwelling elderly women.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  12663300     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: Experimental data suggest that oxygen free radicals are probably involved in the deterioration of cognitive processes. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate the relation of high-dose antioxidant supplements to cognition. DESIGN: Information on the use of specific supplements containing vitamins E and C was collected biennially via mailed questionnaires beginning in 1980 from 14 968 community-dwelling women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study. From 1995 to 2000, telephone tests of cognitive function [Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status (TICS), delayed recall of the TICS 10-word list, immediate and delayed recall of a short paragraph, a test of verbal fluency, and a digit span backwards test] were administered to the women, who were 70-79 y of age at that time. We used linear and logistic regression models to calculate multivariate-adjusted mean differences in test scores and relative risks of a low score for specific supplement users compared with nonusers. RESULTS: Long-term, current users of vitamin E with vitamin C had significantly better mean performance, as judged by a global score that combined individual test scores, than did women who had never used vitamin E or C (P = 0.03); there was a trend for increasingly higher mean scores with increasing durations of use (P = 0.04). These associations were strongest among women with low dietary intakes of alpha-tocopherol. Benefits were less consistent for women taking vitamin E alone, with no evidence of higher scores with longer durations of use. Use of specific vitamin C supplements alone had little relation to performance on our cognitive tests. CONCLUSION: The use of specific vitamin E supplements, but not specific vitamin C supplements, may be related to modest cognitive benefits in older women.
Authors:
Francine Grodstein; Jennifer Chen; Walter C Willett
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The American journal of clinical nutrition     Volume:  77     ISSN:  0002-9165     ISO Abbreviation:  Am. J. Clin. Nutr.     Publication Date:  2003 Apr 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2003-03-28     Completed Date:  2003-04-24     Revised Date:  2007-11-14    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0376027     Medline TA:  Am J Clin Nutr     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  975-84     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. fran.grodstein@channing.harvard.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Aged
Antioxidants / administration & dosage*
Ascorbic Acid / administration & dosage
Cognition*
Cognition Disorders / diagnosis
Cohort Studies
Diet
Dietary Supplements
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Logistic Models
Nurses
Risk
Telephone
Vitamin E / administration & dosage
alpha-Tocopherol / administration & dosage
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
AG13483/AG/NIA NIH HHS; AG15424/AG/NIA NIH HHS; CA87969/CA/NCI NIH HHS
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Antioxidants; 1406-18-4/Vitamin E; 50-81-7/Ascorbic Acid; 59-02-9/alpha-Tocopherol
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Apr;77(4):762-3   [PMID:  12663269 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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