People with a high risk of dementia might be able to lower the odds with these three antioxidants.
Higher blood levels of specific antioxidants could reduce the chances of developing dementia.
According to research, individuals with the highest blood concentrations of beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin antioxidants are at lower risk of getting dementia in later life.
Pistachios, egg yolk, bell peppers, corn, kiwi fruit, grapes, courgette (zucchini), squash, and green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, peas, and kale contain high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin (Sommerburg et al., 1998).
Beta-cryptoxanthin is the other natural carotenoid that can slow down dementia due to aging.
Persimmons, oranges, carrots, peaches, tangerines, papaya, and orange maize are good sources of beta-cryptoxanthin.
Dr May Beydoun, the study’s first author, said:
“Extending people’s cognitive functioning is an important public health challenge.
Antioxidants may help protect the brain from oxidative stress, which can cause cell damage.
Further studies are needed to test whether adding these antioxidants can help protect the brain from dementia.”
For this study more than 7,000 participants age 45 or older were enrolled and followed for 16 years.
At the start they went through an interview, physical examination, and blood test to check their antioxidant levels.
The results showed that the risk of developing dementia was reduced for participants with the highest levels of lutein and zeaxanthin.
Increased amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin (15.4 μmol/l) resulted in a 7 percent lower risk of dementia.
Increased levels of beta-cryptoxanthin by 8.6 μmol/l led to a 14 percent reduced risk of dementia.
Dr Beydoun added:
“It’s important to note that the effect of these antioxidants on the risk of dementia was reduced somewhat when we took into account other factors such as education, income and physical activity, so it’s possible that those factors may help explain the relationship between antioxidant levels and dementia.”
The study was published in the journal Neurology (Beydoun et al., 2022).
