Aging Brains More Likely to Lose Their C
Getting vitamin C to the brain is no simple task. While most animals can make their own vitamin C, our bodies can’t. We humans have to eat it in food – or take supplements – and then vitamin C has to be taken out of the digestive tract and sent into the brain and other organs. Part of the process of getting this nutrient to brain cells involves molecular carriers that transport vitamin C into the cerebrospinal fluid that flows into the brain. Another route works with transporters that carry vitamin C in the blood and move it to the blood-brain barrier where it is escorted into brain tissue. The blood-brain barrier is supposed to be a one-way street for vitamin C, meant to keep most vitamin C from leaving the brain once it gets in. But researchers believe that as we age, the barrier’s ability to retain the vitamin in brain tissue starts to falter, allowing the vitamin to seep out and the brain’s levels of vitamin C to drop.Don’t Wait Till You’ve Got Dementia to Up Your C
While vitamin C is crucial for keeping the fats in neurons and brain cell membranes from being oxidized, using vitamin C to fight conditions like Alzheimer’s disease is not a straightforward process. When researchers have given vitamin C to people who already have Alzheimer’s disease, they haven’t found any benefit. But when they look at people who consume vitamin C as they age – before memory problems have started – they have uncovered evidence that it may be a preventive that lowers the risk for Alzheimer’s. For example, a six-year study in the Netherlands looked at the brain health of more than 5,000 people over the age of 55. The researchers found that folks who consumed vitamin C supplements (as well as vitamin E), ran a much lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease during the research. In this study, the protective benefit of vitamin C supplements was particularly effective for the people who were smokers.2 The research into vitamin C’s brain health benefits makes it clear – the sooner you start eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and taking vitamin C supplements, the better off your memory will be. A study at Vanderbilt University concludes – “There is overwhelming evidence that a lifetime of good nutrition, thus avoiding sub-clinical deficiency in vitamin C and other antioxidants, is necessary to restrict the accumulation of damage.”3 So don’t wait. Put vitamin C to work for your brain today.Meet
The Expert:
The Expert:
Susan Clark is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated journalist and author who has written about nutrition, health, and wellness for 27 years. She has developed content for articles, reports, books, videos, and television news segments featuring some of today’s top alternative and integrative doctors. She earned a bachelor of science in broadcast journalism from Texas Christian University. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two sons, and numerous pets.
