The Levels of Lycopene, α-Tocopherol and a Marker of Oxidative Stress in Healthy Northeast Thai Elderly

An imbalance between oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity has been proposed to play an important role in the development and progression of chronic diseases in the elderly. The present study was carried out to investigate correlation between the serum antioxidants (lycopene and alpha-tocopherol) and malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of oxidative stress in the healthy Thai elderly. The 207 healthy subjects aged 60-91 years old (72 males and 135 females) in Khon Kaen province, Thailand were enrolled in this study. They were interviewed by questionnaires about smoking habit. Serum lycopene and alpha-tocopherol levels were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). MDA was measured by thiobarbituric assay. Serum lycopene and alpha-tocopherol levels in the elderly were 0.27 micromol/L (95% CI = 0.23-0.31) and 22.10 micromol/L (95% CI = 20.99-23.22), respectively. Males had significant lower serum lycopene and alpha-tocopherol levels than females (p