Vitamin C, Mood and Cognitive Functioning in the Elderly

Abstract

The present study examined the effects of anti-oxidant vitamin supplementation on mood and cognitive functioning in 205 volunteers (110 females, 95 males; age range: 60-80 years). In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the volunteers received either anti-oxidant supplementation (daily dosage 12mg/d β-carotene, 400 mg/d α-tocopherol and 500mg/d ascorbic acid) or placebo. The volunteers were followed up for 12 months. Vitamin levels were assessed from plasma samples. The primary outcome measures were subjective mood, self-reported cognitive failures, and measures of intelligence. These were measured at 4, 8 and 12 months. There were very few significant differences between the placebo and vitamin groups. Analysis of the effects of changes in vitamin levels on mood and cognition revealed significant effects of changes in vitamin C but not the other anti-oxidants. Increases in vitamin C were associated at 12 months with more positive mood, greater improvements in global assessments of intellectual functioning and a reduction in everyday errors of memory, attention and action. These effects were greatest for those volunteers who had a more negative mood and lower levels of cognitive function at baseline. Overall, results support earlier findings based on examination of dietary intake.

Does taking vitamin, mineral and fatty acid supplements prevent cognitive decline? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

“…A separate article on the RCT by Smith et al. (1999b) reported that a subgroup of their participants who had both low baseline vitamin C status and low mood and cognition were more likely to derive benefits from the increased vitamin C (Smith et al. , 1999a,b); thus, further studies to investigate the response in malnourished subgroups may be justified.…”

Dietary patterns and depressive symptoms among Japanese men and women

“…Previously, several studies have examined the association of depressive symptoms with specific nutrients and foods such as folate (Gilbody et al, 2007), other vitamin B (Tolmunen et al, 2004;Murakami et al, 2008), vitamin C (Smith et al, 1999), n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (Jacka et al, 2004;Murakami et al, 2008), vitamin D (Lansdowne and Provost, 1998;Jorde et al, 2008), vitamin E (Shibata et al, 1999;Tiemeier et al, 2002), vegetables (Mikolajczyk et al, 2009;Oddy et al, 2009) and fish (Tanskanen et al, 2001;Timonen et al, 2004); however, the results have been inconsistent. The investigation of a single food factor with disease risk may be problematic, given that foods and nutrients are consumed in combination and their complex effects are likely to be interactive or synergistic (Hu, 2002).…”

“…In a Spanish study, Mediterranean dietary pattern, which is similar to the healthy Japanese pattern in terms of high intakes of vegetables, fruit and legumes, was associated with lower incidence of depression (Sanchez-Villegas et al, 2009). Previously, specific nutrients such as folate (Gilbody et al, 2007), vitamin C (Smith et al, 1999) and vitamin E (Shibata et al, 1999;Tiemeier et al, 2002) have been shown to be associated with decreased risk of depressive symptoms. In this study, subjects in the highest tertile of the healthy Japanese dietary pattern score consumed much greater amount of these vitamins than those in the lowest tertile.…”

A healthy body, a healthy mind: long-term impact of diet on mood and cognitive function

“…Smith et al (1999Smith et al ( , 2000 conducted a 12-month randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study of antioxidant vitamin supplementation (vitamins C and E and β-carotene) in the elderly (60-80 years). No significant effects of supplementation on mood or cognitive function were observed.…”