A new study has linked low levels of Vitamin C with an increased risk of dementia.
Experts from Hirosaki University analysed data and brain scans from over 2,000 adults aged over 65, and found that participants with lower levels of the vitamin in their blood also had less grey matter.
Grey matter is the tissue responsible for processing information, language, judgement and navigation
They also noted weaker connections between the key brain regions involved in memory, self-reflection and daydreaming, which suggest the brain’s internal communication network may not be working efficiently.
Experts say that these findings suggest the possibility that optimal levels of Vitamin C in blood plasma could potentially support cognitive function and counteract cognitive decline
Dr Tomohiro Shintaku, one of the study authors said: ‘Our study demonstrates that higher plasma Vitamin C levels are associated with better preserved structural connectivity of the default mode network (DMN), a key brain network involved in cognitive function.
‘This finding generates the exciting hypothesis that a diet rich in Vitamin C might play a supportive role in maintaining brain health and mitigating age-related cognitive decline in older adults.’
However, the study was observational, so it cannot prove that vitamin C prevents brain ageing or cognitive decline; longer-term research involving more diverse populations is needed.
Found predominantly in fruit and vegetables, Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps protect our cells from damage caused by rogue molecules called free radicals.
It also neutralises harmful molecules that are a by-product of our metabolism, as well as ones caused by environmental factors such as pollution.
It is believed that it is the vitamin’s protective properties that helps it to slow cognitive decline.
Around 900,000 people are currently living with dementia in the UK, a figure expected to rise to more than 1.6 million by 2040. Dementia is the leading cause of death, accounting for more than 74,000 deaths a year.
An estimated 6.7 million Americans aged 65 and over are living with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
This is projected to reach nearly 14 million by 2060, with around 120,000 deaths a year attributed to Alzheimer’s alone.
The Daily Mail launched its Defeating Dementia campaign in December after shocking statistics showed the disease remains the nation’s biggest killer, accounting for one in nine deaths and claiming around 76,000 lives each year.
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The campaign, run in association with the Alzheimer’s Society, aims to boost early diagnosis, raise awareness of prevention, increase research funding and improve care for patients and families.
Despite its devastating impact, dementia patients suffer what charities describe as a ‘cruel injustice’, with many facing high care costs, patchy support and no drugs available on the NHS to slow, cure or prevent the disease.
At the same time, dementia receives far less research funding than other major illnesses such as cancer, despite costing the UK economy an estimated £42billion a year.
Charities have also warned progress could stall further after dementia was removed from official NHS planning guidance this year, effectively signalling it should be deprioritised.