Antioxidants and Cognitive Function: Misleading Concepts and New Strategies

In a recent study, Yasuno et al. [1] reported promising results over the improvement of cognitive function by a combination of antioxidants in patients more than 65 years old. Forty-one patients with deterioration of cognitive function were evaluated after 3 years of follow up, during which patients undertook “antioxidant” supplementation. As a control, data of 622 patients without supplement intake were collected. The authors found that “antioxidants” improved cognitive function, arguing that antioxidants used in combination act synergistically in ameliorating cognitive function. According to author’s definition, supplement intake included a daily dose of 1182 mg n-3 fatty acids (FA), 83 mg lycopene from tomato extracts, and 240 mg Ginkgo Biloba leaf extract. In detail, n3-FA consisted of 1.182 mg purified fish oil, containing 290 mgeicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 203 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).