Vitamin E and Carotenoids May Help Maintain Cognitive Performance

Previous research has suggested there may be a link between oxidative stress and cognitive decline. According to a new study, vitamin E and carotenoids may help reduce the speed of cognitive decline.

For their study, the researchers used data from 1,251 people who participated in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span. Questionnaires were used to measure dietary intake of vitamins A, C, and E and total and individual carotenoids. Cognitive tests, covering global mental status and the domains of memory/learning, attention, psychomotor speed, visuo-spatial, language/verbal, and executive function were administered at baseline and approximately 5 years later.

The researchers found that participants with the highest dietary intake of carotenoids and higher intake of vitamin E had improved cognitive performance in the areas of verbal memory, verbal fluency, attention, working memory, and executive function. Lycopene was found to be the carotenoid mainly responsible for better performance in verbal memory.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Delaware and University College London.It was published online ahead of print on November 20, 2020 in the journal Nutrients.