According to research published in the May 4, 2022 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, people with higher amounts of antioxidants in their blood are less likely to acquire dementia.

The researchers discovered that those who had the highest levels of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, as well as beta-cryptoxanthin, in their blood were less likely to acquire dementia decades later than those who had lower levels. Leafy green foods like spinach, kale, broccoli, summer squash, and peas contain lutein and zeaxanthin. Oranges, mangoes, papaya, tangerines, peaches, and persimmons all contain beta-kryptoxanthin

May A. Beydoun, PhD, MPH, of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland, said, “Extending people’s cognitive functioning is an essential public health concern.” “Antioxidants may protect the brain from oxidative stress, which can harm cells.” More research is needed to see if adding these antioxidants to the diet will help protect the brain from dementia.”

The study included 7,283 participants who were at least 45 years old at the start. At the start of the study, they received a physical checkup, an interview, and blood testing for antioxidant levels. After then, they were tracked for an average of 16 years to see who acquired dementia.

Based on their blood antioxidant levels, the subjects were separated into three groups. People who had the greatest levels of lutein and zeaxanthin had a lower risk of dementia than those who had lower levels. Every standard deviation rise in lutein and zeaxanthin levels, about 15.4 micrograms/deciliter, was linked to a 7% reduction in dementia risk. Every standard deviation rise in beta-cryptoxanthin levels, about 8.6 micrograms/deciliter, was linked to a 14 percent lower incidence of dementia.

“It’s important to note that when we took into account other factors like education, income, and physical activity, the effect of these antioxidants on the risk of dementia was somewhat reduced,” Beydoun said. “It’s possible that those factors may help explain the relationship between antioxidant levels and dementia.”

The antioxidant levels in the study were based on a single assessment of blood levels, which may not reflect people’s levels across their lifetime.

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