Levels of certain antioxidants in the blood during middle age can greatly reduce the risk of developing dementia in older adults. This is what emerges from a study conducted by the American National Institute on Aging and published in Neurologyrivista dell’American Academy of Neurology.
The study on antioxidants
The study followed 7,283 Americans, who were 45 years old on average at the start of the research, for more than 15 years and underwent several tests, including measuring antioxidant levels in their blood. Three in particular: lutein and zeaxanthin, which are rich in vegetables such as spinach, broccoli or red radicchio, and beta-cryptoxanthin, present in abundance in squash, persimmons, mandarins, peppers.
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Evaluations made at the end of the study showed that people who had the highest levels of antioxidants years earlier had a significantly lower risk of developing dementia. Specifically, for each increase of 15.5 micromoles per liter of lutein and zeaxanthin there was a 7% reduction in the risk of dementia, while for each increase of 8.6 micromol per liter of beta-cryptoxanthin the reduction in risk was 14%.
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Protection against oxidative stress
“Antioxidants can help protect the brain from oxidative stress, which can cause cell damage. However, more studies are needed to see if adding these compounds can help protect the brain from dementia,” said one of the authors of the study. , May A. Beydoun. However, the researcher calls for caution: even if their role is confirmed, antioxidants are only one of the components that contribute to preserving cognitive health. In fact, the study showed their effect was influenced by factors such as education, income or the level of physical activity performed over the course of life.
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