This interventional research will be carried out in Iran and include about 222 elderly. The object of this study is to determine whether use of supplemental antioxidants (vitamins C and E) will be associated with Mild Cognitive Impairment in a representative sample of elderly.
The criteria for inclusion is aged between 60-75 years old in both sexes with educational level of fifth grade and upper .The exclusion criteria are severely sick and disabled in terms of having neurological problems, history taking in neuroleptic medicine , severe cardiovascular disease, anemia, liver and kidney disorders and mal-absorption, smokers ,alcohol and opium addiction.
Participants with eligibility criteria mentioned above will be recruited from retirement clubs and urban health centers. In order to identify the subjects with MCI, they will be interviewed by two standard questionnaires including Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and short IQCODE (Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline).
Sample was selected using stratified random sampling techniques. Stratification will be done on the basis of age groups (60-65, 65-70, 70-75,) and gender. Subjects with MCI divided to intervention and control group and informed consent will be obtained after explaining the plan to each subject.
Intervention group will receive 400 mg vitamin C and 300 mg vitamin E , one time daily for one year and control group will take one time daily placebo manufactured exactly similar to the color, shape and size.
Information on background characteristics, lifestyle factors and 3-Day Diet Recall will be collected.
The effects of Antioxidant Supplements on study subjects will be assessed at baseline , after six months and post-intervention by measuring cognitive performance and also redox status with appropriate laboratory test including: Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) , Malondialdehyde assay , 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and Glutathione assay. The comparison includes intervention and control groups, men and women and also different age groups.