Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant that participates in several chemical reactions in the body. Despite its importance for health, relatively little is still known about how levels of this vitamin in the blood can influence brain health.
In new, published last week in PLOS Oneresearchers collected blood samples from 2044 volunteers with an average age of 69 years old. The objective was to evaluate the relationship between vitamin C levels in the blood and certain characteristics observed in blood tests. brain imaging.
When analyzing the results, the scientists adjusted for factors that can also influence brain health, such as age, sex and medical conditions, including high blood pressure.
According to , the team focused on a brain circuit called default mode network (DMN), a circuit that remains active even when the brain is at rest, establishing connections between different brain regions.
The weakening of this network has been associated with the cognitive decline. For this reason, researchers sought to assess the strength of these connections in elderly Japanese people. Previous studies have already shown that people with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and depression tend to have a weaker DMN.
The results showed that higher levels of vitamin C in the blood were associated with a greater volume of gray matterthe brain tissue responsible for functions such as memory, movement and processing emotions. Furthermore, higher levels of this vitamin correlated with greater connectivity in the DMN.
However, this is an observational study carried out at a single point in time, so it is not possible to conclude that vitamin C was the direct cause of these brain differences. The results only suggest that this vitamin could play a role in maintaining brain health and potentially contribute to dementia prevention.
Although more studies are needed, researchers conclude that an adequate intake of vitamin C could help preserve the functioning of the DMN and protect brain health throughout aging.
This is, therefore, yet another reason to ensure a diet rich in vitamin Cpresent in various fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, kiwis, strawberries, peppers and broccoli.
