USE OF ANTIOXIDANT SUPPLEMENTS AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN A RURAL ELDERLY COHORT - THE MOVIES PROJECT

There has been much interest recently in the therapeutic benefits of a ntioxidants, including a possible protective role in preventing or del aying cognitive decline; This study describes the use of antioxidant s upplements among 1,059 rural, noninstitutionalized elderly residents o f southwestern Pennsylvania who are participants in the Monongahela Va lley Independent Elders Survey. The data were collected during the sur vey's second wave of follow-up (1989-1991). The mean age of participan ts was 74.5 years (standard deviation 5.5), and 57.3% were women. Curr ent use of nutritional supplements containing vitamin A, C, or E, p-ca rotene, zinc, or selenium was measured through self-report. Subjects w ere administered a battery of 15 neuropsychological tests measuring pe rformance in several cognitive domains. Of the 1,059 persons, 342 (32. 3%) were taking antioxidant supplements. Women and persons with higher levels of education were more often antioxidant users. Antioxidant us e did not vary significantly by age, race, or income. In univariate an alyses, antioxidant use was significantly and positively associated wi th performance on several cognitive tests. However, after adjustment f or age, education, and sex, there were no significant differences in c ognitive test performance between antioxidant users and nonusers. This study is one of only a few that have analyzed the relation between an tioxidants and cognition in a community-based sample. After potentiall y confounding factors are accounted for, the results do not support th e hypothesis that antioxidant supplement use is associated with cognit ive function.