211 association of plasma antioxidants and cognitive outcomes in northern irish men from prospective epidemiological study of myocardial infarction (prime) study

Abstract Background Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation have been demonstrated to contribute to cognitive decline in older age and the development of neurodegenerative disorders. Antioxidants have been revealed to help mitigate the effects of the damage caused by oxidative stress and inflammation, but their relationship with cognitive decline is not yet fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between various plasma antioxidant levels and cognitive status in participants from the Prospective Epidemiological Study of Myocardial Infarction (PRIME) study. Methods 10,600 men were recruited to the PRIME study between 1991-1993 and have been followed up across eleven time points. Baseline health and lifestyle characteristics were assessed, and plasma antioxidants were obtained and quantified. Baseline cognitive status was screened in 2000 using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Follow up assessment of cognitive status was performed in 2015 with MMSE and Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) examinations. Results 2,009 men underwent cognitive assessment in 2000 and 873 men in 2015. At both 2000 and 2015 with the use of the MMSE and ACE-R examinations to assess cognitive status, serum concentration of all the antioxidants except for gamma-tocopherol and lycopene were higher in the men with better cognitive performance at a significant level of p<0.05. Better cognitive performance was associated with more time spent in education and higher level of education achieved at a statistically significant level (p<0.01). Furthermore, those with cognitive impairment were more likely to be older. After adjustments for lifestyle variables with a linear regression model, the only significant variable associated with cognition was time spent in education (B = 0.521, p= 0.02). Conclusion The findings suggest that the concentration of plasma antioxidants is associated with cognitive status. Smoking and education, as well as other lifestyle factors were, demonstrated to have an impact on cognitive status.