Rd. Lipman et al., DISEASE INCIDENCE AND LONGEVITY ARE UNALTERED BY DIETARY ANTIOXIDANT SUPPLEMENTATION INITIATED DURING MIDDLE-AGE IN C57BL 6 MICE/, Mechanism of ageing and development, 103(3), 1998, pp. 269-284
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.
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