Intake of antioxidant vitamins and risk of Parkinson's disease

INTRODUCTION: Oxidative stress is proposed to be one of the potential mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease. However, previous epidemiologic studies investigating associations between antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamins E and C and carotenoids, and PD risk have produced inconsistent results. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this work was to prospectively examine associations between intakes of antioxidant vitamins, including vitamins E and C and carotenoids, and PD risk. METHODS: Cases were identified in two large cohorts: the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Cohort members completed semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires every 4 years. For vitamins E and C, intake from foods and supplements combined were also unrelated to PD risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not support the hypothesis that intake of antioxidant vitamins reduces the risk of PD.