Common vitamin may influence brain aging in ways scientists didn't expect

Higher levels of vitamin C levels were linked to healthier encephalon building successful older adults, suggesting a imaginable domiciled for nutrition successful brain aging.

That’s according to caller investigation from Japan, published successful nan diary PLOS ONE.

The observational study included 2,044 participants surviving successful Hirosaki City, Japan, who were primitively included successful a study exploring dementia and bosom illness risk. The mean property was 69, and 61% of them were female.

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The researchers measured nan participants’ vitamin C levels utilizing humor samples and performed MRI scans to cipher nan measurement of grey matter and achromatic matter successful their brains.

Even aft accounting for outer factors for illustration age, smoking habits, diabetes and different manner behaviors, they recovered that those pinch little vitamin C levels appeared to person little encephalon insubstantial volumes and weaker structural web patterns.

Higher levels of vitamin C levels were linked to healthier encephalon building successful older adults, suggesting a imaginable domiciled for nutrition successful encephalon aging. (iStock)

"Our study demonstrates that older adults pinch higher humor levels of vitamin C thin to person better-preserved encephalon building (gray matter) and stronger connections wrong nan default mode web (DMN), a important encephalon web progressive successful representation and cognitive function," Tomohiro Shintaku, MD, PhD, adjunct professor successful nan Department of Radiology Graduate School of Medicine astatine Hirosaki University, told Fox News Digital.

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"While diets rich | successful vitamin C are known to little nan risk of cognitive decline, our study is nan very first to show a nonstop relation betwixt existent humor plasma vitamin C levels and nan structural connectivity of nan DMN," he added.

This web is often affected by conditions specified arsenic Alzheimer's disease and depression, according to nan researchers.

The researchers measured nan participants’ vitamin C levels utilizing humor samples and performed MRI scans to cipher nan measurement of grey matter and achromatic matter successful their brains. (iStock)

The vitamin C measurement was much meticulous than studies that relied connected dietary estimates, nan researchers noted.

"What I recovered astir fascinating is that we could observe specified clear associations betwixt a azygous nutritional facet (vitamin C) and large-scale encephalon networks successful a robust cohort of complete 2,000 older adults," Shintaku said. "It highlights really importantly our everyday dietary habits mightiness effect encephalon structure."

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The study underscores nan value of obtaining vitamin C from nan regular diet, arsenic humans cannot synthesize it connected their own, nan researchers noted.

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"Our findings propose that maintaining optimal vitamin C levels done a patient fare — rich | successful citrus fruits, berries, tomatoes and greenish leafy vegetables — could beryllium a elemental yet powerful measurement to support brain wellness arsenic we age," Shintaku said.

Those pinch little vitamin C levels appeared to person little encephalon insubstantial volumes and weaker structural web patterns. (iStock)

The study did person immoderate limitations, nan researchers noted. 

"Because our study is observational and cross-sectional, we tin only show an association, not a cause-and-effect relationship," Shintaku told Fox News Digital. "Other limitations see relying connected a azygous humor measurement per participant."

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Other outer factors, specified arsenic dietary intake, body wide index and socioeconomic variables, could person played a domiciled successful nan outcomes.

Also, nan nexus was comparatively humble compared to established consequence factors for illustration high humor pressure and humor sugar, nan researchers noted.

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Findings from other, larger studies, including UK Biobank investigation pinch much than 9,000 people, propose that vitamin C is conscionable 1 of respective factors that whitethorn power encephalon health.

Because nan participants were almost each older Japanese adults, nan findings whitethorn not beryllium generalized to different populations.

"It is champion viewed arsenic a awesome that vitamin C position whitethorn beryllium 1 portion of a overmuch larger brain-health picture."

"This study recovered an relation betwixt higher plasma vitamin C levels and MRI markers of encephalon health, including grey matter measurement and connectivity successful nan default mode network, which is progressive successful respective cognitive functions," Dung Trinh, MD, an soul medicine expert and laminitis of nan Healthy Brain Clinic, commented to Medical News Today.

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"That said, nan study does not beryllium that vitamin C prevents cognitive diminution aliases that taking supplements will amended encephalon health. It is champion viewed arsenic a awesome that vitamin C position whitethorn beryllium 1 portion of a overmuch larger brain-health picture."