Micronutrient supplementation in later life: Limited evidence for benefit

Journals of Gerontology - Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences

Volumn 59, Issue 7, 2004, Pages 659-673

  Dangour, Alan D ^a   Sibson, Victoria L ^a   Fletcher, Astrid E ^a  

^a LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ALPHA TOCOPHEROL; ANTIOXIDANT; ASCORBIC ACID; BETA CAROTENE; COPPER; MOLYBDENUM; NICOTINIC ACID; RETINOL; RIBOFLAVIN; TRACE ELEMENT; ZINC;

ADULT; AGED; AGING; CANCER RISK; CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM; CLINICAL TRIAL; COGNITION; DIETARY INTAKE; EYE DISEASE; FEMALE; HEALTH STATUS; HUMAN; IMMUNE SYSTEM; MALE; MINERAL INTAKE; NUTRIENT SUPPLY; PRIORITY JOURNAL; REVIEW; SYSTEMATIC REVIEW;

AGED; CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES; COGNITION; DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS; EYE DISEASES; GERIATRICS; HUMANS; IMMUNITY; MICRONUTRIENTS; NEOPLASMS; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS;

EID: 4043074121     PISSN: 10795006     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Review

References (106)

1. WHO. Active Ageing: A Policy Framework. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2002.
2. Kohrs M, Czajka-Narins D, Nordstrom J. Factors affecting nutritional status of the elderly. In: Munro H, Danford D, eds. Nutrition, Aging and the Elderly. New York: Plenum; 1989:305-333.
3. de Groot CP, van den Broek T, van Staveren W. Energy intake and micronutrient intake in elderly Europeans: seeking the minimum requirement in the SENECA study. Age Ageing. 1999;28:469-474.
4. King JE, Mazariegos M, Valdez C, Castaneda C, Solomons NW. Nutritional status indicators and their interactions in rural Guatemalan elderly: a study in San Pedro Ayampuc. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;66:795-802.
5. Richard MJ, Roussel AM. Micronutrients and ageing: intakes and requirements. Proc Nutr Soc. 1999;58:573-538.
6. WHO/TUFTS. Keep Fit for Life: Meeting the Nutritional Needs of Older Persons. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2002.
7. Williams RJ, Motteram JM, Sharp CH, Gallagher PJ. Dietary vitamin E and the attenuation of early lesion development in modified Watanabe rabbits. Atherosclerosis. 1992;94:153-159.
8. Ness AR, Powles JW, Khaw KT. Vitamin C and cardiovascular disease: a systematic review. J Cardiovasc Risk. 1996;3:513-521.
9. GISSI-Prevenzione Investigators. Dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E after myocardial infarction: results of the GISSI-Prevenzione trial. Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto miocardico. Lancet. 1999;354:447-455.
10. Lee IM, Cook NR, Manson JE, Buring JE, Hennekens CH. Beta-carotene supplementation and incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease: the Women's Health Study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999;91:2102-2106.
11. Heart Protection Study Collaborative Group. MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of antioxidant vitamin supplementation in 20,536 high-risk individuals: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2002;360:23-33.
12. Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study Group. The effect of vitamin E and beta carotene on the incidence of lung cancer and other cancers in male smokers. The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta Carotene Cancer Prevention Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1994;330:1029-1035.
13. Omenn GS, Goodman GE, Thornquist MD, et al. Effects of a combination of beta carotene and vitamin A on lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med. 1996;334:1150-1155.
14. Hennekens CH, Buring JE, Manson JE, et al. Lack of effect of long-term supplementation with beta carotene on the incidence of malignant neoplasms and cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med. 1996;334:1145-1149.
15. Stephens NG, Parsons A, Schofield PM, Kelly F, Cheeseman K, Mitchinson MJ. Randomised controlled trial of vitamin E in patients with coronary disease: Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study (CHAOS). Lancet. 1996;347:781-786.
16. Nilsen DW, Albrektsen G, Landmark K, Moen S, Aarsland T, Woie L. Effects of a high-dose concentrate of n-3 fatty acids or com oil introduced early after an acute myocardial infarction on serum triacylglycerol and HDL cholesterol. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001;74:50-56.
17. Grundt H, Nilsen DW, Mansoor MA, Nordoy A. Increased lipid peroxidation during long-term intervention with high doses of n-3 fatty acids (PUFAs) following an acute myocardial infarction. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003;57:793-800.
18. Vivekananthan DP, Penn MS, Sapp SK, Hsu A, Topol EJ. Use of antioxidant vitamins for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: meta-analysis of randomised trials. Lancet. 2003;361:2017-2023.
19. Din JN, Newby DE, Flapan AD. Omega 3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease - fishing for a natural treatment. BMJ. 2004;328:30-35.
20. WHO. Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases: Report of a Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2003.
21. Key TJ, Allen NE, Spencer EA, Travis RC. The effect of diet on risk of cancer. Lancet. 2002;360:861-868.
22. Steinmetz KA, Potter JD. Vegetables, fruit, and cancer prevention: a review. J Am Diet Assoc. 1996;96:1027-1039.
23. Khaw KT. Healthy aging. BMJ. 1997;315:1090-1096.
24. Fairfield KM, Fletcher RH. Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: scientific review. JAMA. 2002;287:3116-3126.
25. Fletcher AE, Breeze E, Shetty PS. Antioxidant vitamins and mortality in older persons: findings from the nutrition add-on study to the Medical Research Council Trial of Assessment and Management of Older People in the Community. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;78:999-1010.
26. Loria CM, Klag MJ, Caulfield LE, Whelton PK. Vitamin C status and mortality in US adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;72:139-145.
27. Losonczy KG, Harris TB, Havlik RJ. Vitamin E and vitamin C supplement use and risk of all-cause and coronary heart disease mortality in older persons: the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly. Am J Clin Nutr. 1996;64:190-196.
28. Blot WJ, Li JY, Taylor PR, et al. Nutrition intervention trials in Linxian, China: supplementation with specific vitamin/mineral combinations, cancer incidence, and disease-specific mortality in the general population. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993;85:1483-1492.
29. Greenberg ER, Baron JA, Tosteson TD, et al. A clinical trial of antioxidant vitamins to prevent colorectal adenoma. Polyp Prevention Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1994;331:141-147.
30. Li JY, Taylor PR, Li B, et al. Nutrition intervention trials in Linxian, China: multiple vitamin/mineral supplementation, cancer incidence, and disease-specific mortality among adults with esophageal dysplasia. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993;85:1492-1498.
31. Virtamo J, Pietinen P, Huttunen JK, et al. Incidence of cancer and mortality following alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene supplementation: a postintervention follow-up. JAMA. 2003;290:476-485.
32. Cook NR, Stampfer MJ, Ma J, et al. Beta-carotene supplementation for patients with low baseline levels and decreased risks of total and prostate carcinoma. Cancer. 1999;86:1783-1792.
33. Cook NR, Le IM, Manson JE, Buring JE, Hennekens CH. Effects of beta-carotene supplementation on cancer incidence by baseline characteristics in the Physicians' Health Study (United States). Cancer Causes Control. 2000;11:617-626.
34. Glynn SA, Albanes D, Pietinen P, et al. Alcohol consumption and risk of colorectal cancer in a cohort of Finnish men. Cancer Causes Control. 1996;7:214-223.
35. Correa P, Fontham ET, Bravo JC, et al. Chemoprevention of gastric dysplasia: randomized trial of antioxidant supplements and anti-helicobacter pylori therapy. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000;92:1881-1888.
36. De Waart FG, Schouten EG, Stalenhoef AF, Kok FJ. Serum carotenoids, alpha-tocopherol and mortality risk in a prospective study among Dutch elderly. Int J Epidemiol. 2001;30:136-143.
37. Gann PH, Ma J, Giovannucci E, et al. Lower prostate cancer risk in men with elevated plasma lycopene levels: results of a prospective analysis. Cancer Res. 1999;59:1225-1230.
38. Michaud DS, Feskanich D, Rimm EB, et al. Intake of specific carotenoids and risk of lung cancer in. 2 prospective US cohorts. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;72:990-997.
39. Heinonen OP, Albanes D, Virtamo J, et al. Prostate cancer and supplementation with alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene: incidence and mortality in a controlled trial. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1998;90:440-446.
40. Hartman TJ, Albanes D, Pietinen P, et al. The association between baseline vitamin E, selenium, and prostate cancer in the alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene cancer prevention study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1998;7:335-340.
41. Chan JM, Stampfer MJ, Ma J, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Giovannucci EL. Supplemental vitamin E intake and prostate cancer risk in a large cohort of men in the United States. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1999;8:893-899.
42. Clark LC, Combs GF Jr, Turnbull BW, et al. Effects of selenium supplementation for cancer prevention in patients with carcinoma of the skin. A randomized controlled trial. Nutritional Prevention of Cancer Study Group. JAMA. 1996;276:1957-1963.
43. van den Brandt PA, Zeegers MP, Bode P, Goldbohm RA. Toenail selenium levels and the subsequent risk of prostate cancer: a prospective cohort study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2003;12:866-871.
44. Yoshizawa K, Willett WC, Morris SJ, et al. Study of prediagnostic selenium level in toenails and the risk of advanced prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1998;90:1219-1224.
45. Goodman GE, Schaffer S, Bankson DD, Hughes MP, Omenn GS. Predictors of serum selenium in cigarette smokers and the lack of association with lung and prostate cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2001;10:1069-1076.
46. Christen WG, Glynn RJ, Hennekens CH. Antioxidants and age-related eye disease. Current and future perspectives. Ann Epidemiol. 1996;6:60-66.
47. Evans J, Henshaw K. Antioxidant Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation for Preventing Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Cochrane Review) Issue 4. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons; 2003.
48. Evans J. Antioxidant Vitamin and Mineral Supplements for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Cochrane Review) Issue 4. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons; 2003.
49. Age Related Eye Disease Study Research Group. A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of high-dose supplementation with vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and zinc for age-related macular degeneration and vision loss: AREDS report no. 8. Arch Ophthalmol. 2001;119:1417-1436.
50. Taylor HR, Tikellis G, Robman LD, McCarty CA, McNeil JJ. Vitamin E supplementation and macular degeneration: randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2002;325:11.
51. Teikari JM, Laatikainen L, Virtamo J, et al. Six-year supplementation with alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene and age-related maculopathy. Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 1998;76:224-229.
52. Age Related Eye Disease Study Research Group. A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of high-dose supplementation with vitamins C and E and beta carotene for age-related cataract and vision loss: AREDS report no. 9. Arch Ophthalmol. 2001;119:1439-1452.
53. Christen WG, Manson JE, Glynn RJ, et al. A randomized trial of beta carotene and age-related cataract in US physicians. Arch Ophthalmol. 2003;121:372-378.
54. Teikari JM, Rautalahti M, Haukka J, et al. Incidence of cataract operations in Finnish male smokers unaffected by alpha tocopherol or beta carotene supplements. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1998;52:468-472.
55. Lesourd B, Mazari L. Nutrition and immunity in the elderly. Proc Nutr Soc. 1999;58:685-695.
56. Green-Johnson J WA, Szewczuk MR. The immunobiology of ageing. In: Cooper E, Nisbet-Brown E, eds. Developmental Immunobiology. New York: Oxford University Press; 1993:426-451.
57. Cohn JR, Hohl CA, Buckley CE III. The relationship between cutaneous cellular immune responsiveness and mortality in a nursing home population. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1983;31:808-809.
58. Lesourd BM. Nutrition and immunity in the elderly: modification of immune responses with nutritional treatments. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;66:478S-484S.
59. Lesourd B. Protein undernutrition as the major cause of decreased immune function in the elderly: clinical and functional implications. Nutr Rev. 1995;53:S86-S91;discussion S92-S94.
60. Santos MS, Meydani SN, Leka L, et al. Natural killer cell activity in elderly men is enhanced by beta-carotene supplementation. Am J Clin Nutr. 1996;64:772-777.
61. Meydani SN, Meydani M, Blumberg JB, et al. Vitamin E supplementation and in vivo immune response in healthy elderly subjects. A randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 1997;277:1380-1386.
62. Fortes C, Forastiere F, Agabiti N, et al. The effect of zinc and vitamin A supplementation on immune response in an older population. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998;46:19-26.
63. High KP. Micronutrient supplementation and immune function in the elderly. Clin Infect Dis. 1999;28:717-722.
64. Chandra RK. Effect of vitamin and trace-element supplementation on immune responses and infection in elderly subjects. Lancet. 1992;340:1124-1127.
65. Chandra RK. Influence of multinutrient supplement on immune response and infection-related illness in 50-65 year old individuals. Nutr Res. 2002;22:5-11.
66. Jain A. Influence of vitamins and trace-elements on the incidence of respiratory infection in the elderly. Nutr Res. 2002;22:85-87.
67. Chavance M, Herbeth B, Lemoine A, Zhu BP. Does multivitamin supplementation prevent infections in healthy elderly subjects? A controlled trial. Int J Vit Nutr Res. 1993;63:11-16.
68. Girodon F, Lombard M, Galan P, et al. Effect of micronutrient supplementation on infection in institutionalized elderly subjects: a controlled trial. Ann Nutr Metab. 1997;41:98-107.
69. Girodon F, Galan P, Monget AL, et al. Impact of trace elements and vitamin supplementation on immunity and infections in institutionalized elderly patients: a randomized controlled trial. MIN. VIT. AOX. geriatric network. Arch Intern Med. 1999;159:748-754.
70. Graat JM, Schouten EG, Kok FJ. Effect of daily vitamin E and multivitamin-mineral supplementation on acute respiratory tract infections in elderly persons: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002;288:715-721.
71. Melzer D, Ely M, Brayne C. Cognitive impairment in elderly people: population based estimate of the future in England, Scotland, and Wales. BMJ. 1997;315:462.
72. Goodwin JS, Goodwin JM, Garry PJ. Association between nutritional status and cognitive functioning in a healthy elderly population. JAMA. 1983;249:2917-2921.
73. Selhub J, Bagley LC, Miller J, Rosenberg IH. B vitamins, homocysteine, and neurocognitive function in the elderly. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;71:614S-620S.
74. Selhub J, Miller JW. The pathogenesis of homocysteinemia: interruption of the coordinate regulation by S-adenosylmethionine of the remethylation and transsulfuration of homocysteine. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992;55:131-138.
75. Boushey CJ, Beresford SA, Omenn GS, Motulsky AG. A quantitative assessment of plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for vascular disease. Probable benefits of increasing folic acid intakes. JAMA. 1995;274:1049-1057.
76. Hankey GJ, Eikelboom JW. Homocysteine and vascular disease. Lancet. 1999;354:407-413.
77. Duthie SJ, Whalley LJ, Collins AR, Leaper S, Berger K, Deary IJ. Homocysteine, B vitamin status, and cognitive function in the elderly. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;75:908-913.
78. Vermeer SE, van Dijk EJ, Koudstaal PJ, et al. Homocysteine, silent brain infarcts, and white matter lesions: The Rotterdam Scan Study. Ann Neurol. 2002:51:285-289.
79. Vermeer SE, Prins ND, den Heijer T, Hofman A, Koudstaal PJ, Breteler MM. Silent brain infarcts and the risk of dementia and cognitive decline. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1215-1222.
80. Malouf M, Grimley EJ, Areosa SA. Folic acid with or without vitamin B12 for cognition and dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003:CD004514.
81. Malouf R, Grimley EJ. The effect of vitamin B6 on cognition. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003:CD004393.
82. Perrig WJ, Perrig P, Stahelin HB. The relation between antioxidants and memory performance in the old and very old. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1997;45:718-724.
83. Jama JW, Launer LJ, Witteman JC, et al. Dietary antioxidants and cognitive function in a population-based sample of older persons. The Rotterdam Study. Am J Epidemiol. 1996;144:275-280.
84. Haller J, Weggemans RM, Ferry M, Guigoz Y. Mental health: minimental state examination and geriatric depression score of elderly Europeans in the SENECA study of 1993. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1996;50(Suppl. 2):S112-S116.
85. Perkins AJ, Hendrie HC, Callahan CM, et al. Association of antioxidants with memory in a multiethnic elderly sample using the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Am J Epidemiol. 1999;150:37-44.
86. Morris MC, Evans DA, Bienias JL, Tangney CC, Wilson RS. Vitamin E and cognitive decline in older persons. Arch Neurol. 2002;59:1125-1132.
87. Bryan J, Calvaresi E, Hughes D. Short-term folate, vitamin B-12 or vitamin B-6 supplementation slightly affects memory performance but not mood in women of various ages. J Nutr. 2002;132:1345-1356.
88. Chandra RK. Effect of vitamin and trace-element supplementation on cognitive function in elderly subjects. Nutrition. 2001;17:709-712.
89. Sano M, Ernesto C, Thomas RG, et al. A controlled trial of selegiline, alpha-tocopherol, or both as treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study. N Engl J Med. 1997;336:1216-1222.
90. Prince M, MacDonald A, Sham P, et al. The development and initial validation of a telephone-administered cognitive test battery (TACT). Int J Meth Psychiatr Res. 1999;8:49-57.
91. Tabet N, Birks J, Evans JG, Orrel M, Spector A. Vitamin E for Alzheimer's disease (Cochrane Review) Issue 1. Oxford: Update Software; 2003.
92. Uauy R, Hoffman DR, Peirano P, Birch DG, Birch EE. Essential fatty acids in visual and brain development. Lipids. 2001;36:885-895.
93. Suzuki H, Park SJ, Tamura M, Ando S. Effect of the long-term feeding of dietary lipids on the learning ability, fatty acid composition of brain stem phospholipids and synaptic membrane fluidity in adult mice: a comparison of sardine oil diet with palm oil diet. Mech Ageing Dev. 1998;101:119-128.
94. Lim SY, Suzuki H. Intakes of dietary docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester and egg phosphatidylcholine improve maze-learning ability in young and old mice. J Nutr. 2000;130:1629-1632.
95. Barberger-Gateau P, Letenneur L, Deschamps V, Peres K, Dartigues JF, Renaud S. Fish, meat, and risk of dementia: cohort study. BMJ. 2002;325:932-933.
96. Kalmijn S, Feskens EJ, Launer LJ, Kromhout D. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, and cognitive function in very old men. Am J Epidemiol. 1997;145:33-41.
97. Morris MC, Evans DA, Bienias JL, et al. Consumption of fish and n-3 fatty acids and risk of incident Alzheimer disease. Arch Neurol. 2003;60:940-946.
98. Albert CM, Campos H, Stampter MJ, et al. Blood levels of long-chain n-3 fatty acids and the risk of sudden death. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:1113-1118.
99. Uauy R, Valenzuela A. Marine oils: the health benefits of n-3 fatty acids. Nutrition. 2000;16:680-684.
100. Kim HY, Akbar M, Lau A, Edsall L. Inhibition of neuronal apoptosis by docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3). Role of phosphatidylserine in antiapoptotic effect. J Biol Chem. 2000;275:35215-35223.
101. O'Brien JT, Erkinjuntti T, Reisberg B, et al. Vascular cognitive impairment. Lancet Neurol. 2003;2:89-98.
102. Yusuf S, Dagenais G, Pogue J, Bosch J, Sleight P. Vitamin E supplementation and cardiovascular events in high-risk patients. The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study Investigators. N Engl J Med. 2000;342:154-160.
103. Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals. Safe Upper Levels of Vitamins and Minerals. London: Food Standards Agency; 2003.
104. Wald DS, Law M, Morris JK. Homocysteine and cardiovascular disease: evidence on causality from a meta-analysis. BMJ. 2002;325:1202.
105. Muskiet FA, Fokkema MR, Schaafsma A, Boersma ER, Crawford MA. Is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) essential? Lessons from DHA status regulation, our ancient diet, epidemiology and randomized controlled trials. J Nutr. 2004;134:183-186.
106. de Gaetano G. Low-dose aspirin and vitamin E in people at cardiovascular risk: a randomised trial in general practice. Collaborative Group of the Primary Prevention Project. Lancet. 2001;357:89-95.