• May A Beydoun, Marie T Fanelli-Kuczmarski, Melissa H Kitner-Triolo, Hind A Beydoun, Jay S Kaufman, Marc A Mason, Michele K Evans, and Alan B Zonderman.
• From the National Institute on Aging (M.A.B., M.H.K.-T., M.K.E., A.B.Z.), NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition (M.T.F.-K.), University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware; Graduate Program in Public Health (H.A.B.), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia; Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, (J.S.K.) McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Statistical Information Systems (M.A.M.), MedStar Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland.
• Psychosom Med. 2015 Jan 1; 77 (1): 68-82.

BackgroundDietary antioxidants can inhibit reactions accompanying neurodegeneration and thus prevent cognitive impairment. We describe associations of dietary antioxidants with cognitive function in a large biracial population, while testing moderation by sex, race, and age and mediation by depressive symptoms.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional analysis of 1274 adults (541 men and 733 women) aged 30 to 64 years at baseline (mean [standard deviation] = 47.5 [9.3]) in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity Across the Lifespan Study, Baltimore city, MD. Cognitive performance in the domains of memory, language/verbal, attention, spatial, psychomotor speed, executive function, and global mental status were assessed. The 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was used to measure depressive symptoms. Dietary intake was assessed with two 24-hour recalls, estimating daily consumption of total carotenoids and vitamins A, C, and E per 1000 kcal.ResultsAmong key findings, 1 standard deviation (∼ 2.02 mg/1000 kcal) higher vitamin E was associated with a higher score on verbal memory, immediate recall (β = +0.64 [0.19], p = .001), and better language/verbal fluency performance (β = +0.53 [0.16], p = .001), particularly among the younger age group. Women with higher vitamin E intake (β = +0.68 [0.21], p = .001) had better performance on a psychomotor speed test. The vitamin E-verbal memory association was partially mediated by depressive symptoms (proportion mediated = 13%-16%).ConclusionsIn sum, future cohort studies and dietary interventions should focus on associations of dietary vitamin E with cognitive decline, specifically for domains of verbal memory, verbal fluency, and psychomotor speed.

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