Study Links Higher Blood Vitamin C Levels to Greater Gray-Matter Volume in Older Adults

Higher blood vitamin C levels were associated with greater gray-matter volume and stronger default-mode-network connectivity among older adults living in Hirosaki City, Japan, according to research published in PLOS ONE. The observational study examined 2,044 participants whose average age was 69 years and of whom 61 percent were female.

The participants had originally enrolled in a separate project focused on dementia and heart-disease risk.

Researchers collected a single blood-plasma sample from each person to measure vitamin C concentration and performed MRI scans to quantify gray-matter and white-matter volumes. After statistical adjustment for age, smoking, diabetes and other lifestyle variables, lower vitamin C levels corresponded to smaller brain-tissue volumes and weaker structural network patterns.

” Shintaku added that the analysis is the first to demonstrate a direct association between measured plasma vitamin C and the structural connectivity of the DMN, a network frequently affected by Alzheimer’s disease and depression.

The study noted that humans cannot synthesize vitamin C and must obtain it from food. ” Limitations cited by the researchers include the observational, cross-sectional design, which shows association but not causation, and reliance on a single blood measurement per participant.

Other unmeasured factors such as dietary intake, body-mass index and socioeconomic status could have influenced the results.