Open Access Unrestricted online access star

The brain requires vitamin C to metabolize fuel substrates and synthesize neurotransmitters, regulate their release, and modify their actions. Vitamin C also protects the brain from oxidative damage. Clinical studies do not provide strong evidence that vitamin C deficiency directly impairs brain function but rather suggest that the fatigue, mood disturbance, and cognitive dysfunction sometimes associated with vitamin C deficiency are due to peripheral tissue damage, with possibly an exaggerated emotional response to it. Severe brain injury drastically depletes the cerebrospinal fluid of vitamin C; clinical trials of high-dose intravenous vitamin C are strongly warranted for this condition. The very limited clinical trial evidence available does not demonstrate that vitamin C supplementation slows the progression of dementia or improves clinical outcomes after an acute ischemic stroke. Hypovitaminosis C is common in people with severe mental illness; it should be treated. A few clinical trials have been carried out of low-pharmacologic doses of vitamin C (alone or with other nutrients) as adjunctive therapy in patients with chronic stable schizophrenia or depression, with inconsistent results. There is plausible but inclusive evidence that continuous supplementation with a combination of several micronutrients, including vitamin C, may have cognitive benefits in some people even if they lack diagnosed vitamin deficiencies.

Accessibility options of PDF file not available

Creative Commons Licence cc by-nc cc https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

eng

Freely available e-book