DISEASE INCIDENCE AND LONGEVITY ARE UNALTERED BY DIETARY ANTIOXIDANT SUPPLEMENTATION INITIATED DURING MIDDLE-AGE IN C57BL 6 MICE/

The ability of augmented antioxidant consumption to alter disease inci dence, lesion burden and/or longevity was studied in adult male C57BL/ 6 mice. Mice were fed modified AIN76 diet or modified AIN76 supplement ed with vitamin E, glutathione (GSH), vitamin E and GSH, melatonin or strawberry extract starting at 18 months of age. All the mice in this study were heavier than reference populations of male C57BL/6 mice fed NIH-07 or NIH-31, which were maintained without a mid-life change in diet. Fatty liver, focal kidney atrophy and proteinacious casts in the renal tubules were observed more frequently in this study population than in the reference populations. Lesion burden and incidence of spec ific lesions observed amongst the various groups in this study did not differ. There were no differences observed for longevity of any of th e study groups. The longevity observed in this study was similar to th at previously reported for male C57BL/6 mice. Thus, diet supplementati on with antioxidants initiated during middle age did not appear to aff ect age-associated lesions patterns, lesion burden or longevity for ad libitum fed male C57BL/6 mice. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.