Scientists discover a surprising link between vitamin C and brain health
News
A large new study suggests higher vitamin C levels are linked to healthier brain structure and stronger brain network connections in older adults.
– Could something as simple as vitamin C help support a healthier aging brain? In a study of more than 2,000 older adults in Japan, researchers found that people with lower vitamin C levels in their blood also tended to have less gray matter and weaker connections in a key brain network involved in memory, attention, and other cognitive functions.
Researchers have found another clue that diet may influence how the brain ages. In a study of more than 2,000 older adults in Japan, people with lower levels of vitamin C in their blood tended to have less gray matter and weaker connections within an important brain network involved in memory and attention. While the findings do not prove that vitamin C protects the brain, they strengthen evidence that good nutrition could play a role in maintaining cognitive health later in life.
Details
The research, led by Haruka Nagaya of Hirosaki University in Japan, was published on June 10, 2026, in the open access journal PLOS One.
Vitamin C and Brain Structure
Earlier studies have suggested that people who consume more vitamin C are less likely to experience cognitive impairment as they get older. However, relatively little research has examined whether vitamin C levels measured directly in the blood are associated with physical changes in the brain.
Analysis
To investigate that question, the researchers analyzed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and blood plasma samples from 2,044 Japanese adults over the age of 64.
Using the MRI scans, they measured the volume of gray matter and white matter in each participant’s brain while accounting for differences in overall brain size. They also examined connectivity within the default mode network, a group of interconnected brain regions that plays an important role in attention, autobiographical memory, and other cognitive functions.
Lower Vitamin C Linked to Smaller Gray Matter
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