OBJECTIVE–To evaluate the relationships between dietary intake of carotenoids and vitamins A, C, and E and the risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of irreversible blindness among adults.

DESIGN–The multicenter Eye Disease Case-Control Study.

SETTING–Five ophthalmology centers in the United States.

Ageing is associated with impaired immune responses and increased infection-related morbidity. This study assessed the effect of physiological amounts of vitamins and trace elements on immunocompetence and occurrence of infection-related illness. 96 independently living, healthy elderly individuals were randomly assigned to receive nutrient supplementation or placebo.

Nutrient status and immunological variables were assessed at baseline and at 12 months,

Diets contain naturally occurring antioxidant compounds that can stabilize highly reactive, potentially harmful molecules called free radicals. Free radicals are generated during normal cellular metabolism and result from the metabolism of certain drugs or xenobiotics.

Exposure to UV light, cigarette smoke, and other environmental pollutants also increases the body's free radical burden. The harmful activities of free radicals are associated with damage to membranes,

Background: Natural killer (NK) cells play a role in natural immunity against tumor and infected cells. Advanced aging is associated with functional impairment of NK cells and increased susceptibility to nutritional deficiencies.

Objective: Our objective was to test whether micronutrient status affects NK cell activity in an older population.

Vitamin A is the generic term for a variety of fat-soluble substances including retinol, retinyl palmitate and the provitamin A carotenoids such as all-trans--carotene. Vitamin A is commonly known as the anti-infective vitamin and has an essential role in vision and cellular differentiation, the latter providing a unique core mechanism helping to explain the influence of vitamin A on epithelial barriers.