A daily vitamin C habit may be doing more than helping the immune system. New research links higher blood levels of the nutrient with healthier brain structure and connectivity in older adults.
The study involved 2,044 Japanese people over the age of 64 and was published in the journal PLOS One.
Researchers at Hirosaki University analyzed MRI scans and plasma vitamin C levels from the participants. They measured the volume of each person’s gray and white brain matter, while accounting for differences in total brain volume between participants.
They also assessed connectivity within the default mode network, a group of brain regions linked to functions including attention and autobiographical memory.
After accounting for factors including age and education levels, the researchers found that participants with lower plasma vitamin C levels tended to have lower gray matter volume. They also had lower connectivity within the default mode network.
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an essential nutrient that the human body cannot produce on its own. Because it cannot be stored in the body, it must be consumed daily.
Previous research has linked diets higher in vitamin C with a lower risk of cognitive impairment in older adults. But the researchers said few studies had directly examined vitamin C levels in blood plasma and possible links with brain structure and connectivity within brain networks.
Study co-author Dr. Haruka Nagaya said: “These findings suggest the possibility that optimal levels of vitamin C in blood plasma could potentially support cognitive function and counteract cognitive decline.
“However, the findings do not confirm any such cause-effect relationship between vitamin C levels and brain health, and further research is needed to explore the biological mechanisms behind the observed statistical associations.”
The team said future research could build on the findings by taking repeated plasma vitamin C measurements over time, accounting for additional lifestyle and nutritional factors, and including participants of different ethnicities and socioeconomic levels.
Co-author Dr. Tomohiro Shintaku said: “Our study demonstrates that higher plasma vitamin C levels are associated with better preserved structural connectivity of the default mode network, a key brain network involved in cognitive function.
“This finding generates the exciting hypothesis that a diet rich in vitamin C might play a supportive role in maintaining brain health and mitigating age-related cognitive decline in older adults.”
He added: “What I found most fascinating about this research is that we were able to detect these subtle but significant associations between a single nutritional factor and large-scale brain networks by utilizing a robust, community-based cohort of over 2,000 older adults.
“It truly highlights the potential impact of our everyday dietary habits on our brain structures.”
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