This vitamin is a friend of the brain in old age / the connection of vitamin C with an important brain network

Vitamin C is best known for its role in the immune system, but new research suggests that this vitamin may also be related to brain health in old age.

By examining more than 2,000 elderly Japanese people, researchers found that people with lower levels of vitamin C in their blood had smaller volumes of gray matter in their brains and the connections of some brain networks were also weaker.

According to Ambassador Arjan, in this study published in PLOS One journal, 2044 people over 64 years old with an average age of 70 years were examined. The researchers measured the level of vitamin C in the blood plasma and evaluated the volume of gray and white matter of the brain and the state of the brain networks of the participants using MRI.

The association of vitamin C with an important brain network

One of the most important findings was related to the "default mode network" or DMN; A set of interconnected brain regions involved in functions such as autobiographical memory, attention, and mental processing. Lower levels of vitamin C were associated with weaker connectivity in this network.

This relationship was still observed even after taking into account factors such as age, gender, education level, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes, blood pressure and blood lipids.

Does taking more vitamin C protect the brain?

It is still too early for such a conclusion. This research is cross-sectional; That is, it only shows that the level of vitamin C and some characteristics of the brain are related to each other, and it cannot prove that increasing the consumption of this vitamin directly preserves the volume of the brain or prevents cognitive decline. The researchers themselves have emphasized that more studies are needed to determine the cause and effect relationship.

However, the new findings add to previous evidence linking proper nutrition to brain health in old age. Getting vitamin C from a varied and balanced diet, especially fruits and vegetables, is still a more logical way than taking high doses of supplements arbitrarily.