ASSOCIATIONS OF ANTIOXIDANT CONSUMPTION FROM FOOD AND SUPPLEMENT SOURCES ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS

Abstract

Oxidative stress, the imbalance of prooxidants and antioxidants, has been recognized as a possible risk factor for cognitive impairment. We postulate that increased dietary antioxidant consumption could help preserve cognitive function during aging. Dietary intake and cognitive function of 50 adults aged ≥65-years (66% women; aged 71.5±5.1 years) was assessed using Cronometer, an electronic nutrition analysis application, and the Saint Louis University Mental Status examination. The fisher’s exact test (p < 0.01) identified a significantly lower percentage of cognitive dysfunction (31.6%; 6 of 19 participants) among participants that met the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) for the antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and manganese, and a higher percentage of cognitive dysfunction among those that did not meet the antioxidant RDAs (74.2%; 23 of 31 participants). However, mean cognitive scores differed insignificantly between those meeting RDAs (26.2 ±4.2 points) and those that did not (24.9 ±2.9 points; p = 0.07).