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.