Antioxidant supplements: Effects on disease and aging in the United Statespopulation

Ingestion of antioxidant supplements by the United States (US) population h as increased steadily since the mid-1950's. This review tried to determine if the supplements have contributed significantly to beneficial changes in the US during this period. Experimental animal studies have demonstrated th at antioxidant supplements lower the incidence of a wide variety of disease s and increase life span. Antioxidants are associated with similar changes in man. Changes since the mid-1950's in the US population include: 1) inges tion of antioxidant supplements has increased from one percent, or less, to 40-50 percent today. Cost: now 4-5 billion dollars per year, 2) disproport ionate increases in the percentage of older individuals as average life exp ectancy at birth (ALE-B) rose, 3) declining chronic disability in the elder ly since 1982, 4) declining cancer mortality since 1991, and 5) the decline in the rate of reported cardiovascular disease beginning in the 1950's whi ch significantly increased further in 1965. The last four changes suggest t hat the rate of increase in physiological age with time has been slowed. Th is can be attributed to decreases in the rate of accumulation of free radic al-induced aging changes by the joint action of antioxidant supplements/die tary measures, and improvements in conventional measures (CM) which increas e ALE-B, e.g,, better medical care, nutrition, housing, accident prevention . The contribution by antioxidants to decreases in physiological age is see mingly small compared to that of CM. However, it will grow relative to CM a s the amount and duration of supplement use increases and improvements in C M raise ALE-B closer to 85 years, the age associated with optimal living co nditions.