Antioxidant vitamins and dementia

The relationship between plasma antioxidants like vitamin A and E, and cognitive function was studied in thirty subjects (6 of them were males), aged 91-104 years, carefully selected in order to exclude as much as possible the influence of medical conditions, pharmacological treatments and malnutrition on vitamin levels and cognitive function. The diagnosis of dementia was made for 16 subjects (2 males) according to the guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association. Mini mental state examination (MMSE), index of activities of daily living (ADL), Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS), information-memory-concentration test (IMCT) and Blessed dementia scale (BDS) were also performed in all subjects. Vitamin A and E were measured in plasma by HPLC method and expressed as lipid-adjusted concentrations. None of the patients had vitamin levels below the normal standards for healthy elderly subjects. No differences in antioxidant vitamin status were found between demented (vitamin A: 2.52 ± 1.62 and vitamin E: 23.07 ± 8.65 μmole/1) and non-demented subjects (vitamin A: 2.73 ± 1.22 and vitamin E: 22.35 ± 6.09 μmole/1). None of the psychometric tests correlated to vitamin A or E levels. Our results seems to suggest that in a normal and otherwise physically healthy elderly population, dementia is not related to a poor vitamin A and E status.