Did you know that the highest levels of vitamin C in your body are found in the brain? Over the past two decades scientists have unravelled various key roles of vitamin C in the brain, which go way beyond its job as an antioxidant, highlighting it as a key Vitamin for our most precious and complex organ.

The brain maintains high levels of vitamin C even during a deficiency

Fascinatingly, the amount of vitamin C in your brain can exceed the levels in your blood by more than a hundred times. What is also remarkable is that the brain manages to keep vitamin C levels high during a shortage - albeit at the cost of other organs. When vitamin C is added back into the diet, the brain is the first to restore levels to normal. All of these amazing facts point to one strongly drawn conclusion - vitamin C is crucial for healthy brain function! (1-4)

Vitamin C offers antioxidant protection to a vulnerable brain

One of vitamin C’s key functions is to shield your brain against oxidative damage caused by unstable and highly reactive atoms or molecules (otherwise known as free radicals)(5). This is uniquely important to your brain for two reasons. Firstly, the brain’s exceptionally high energy requirement (20-25% of your body’s total energy needs) results in the generation of huge amounts of free radicals (6). Secondly, your brain is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are readily damaged by these same free radicals (7). Thus, your brain is not only highly exposed but also very vulnerable to free radicals, requiring top-level antioxidant protection.

Additional roles of vitamin C in the brain

Vitamin C offers much more than antioxidant protection. It supports the formation of collagen, the integrity of blood vessels in your brain, and carnitine, which is essential for using fat as a source of energy. More specific to the brain is vitamin C’s role in the way neurons – the most important cells in your brain and nervous system – develop and mature. Vitamin C also plays a role in the synthesis and management of neurotransmitters – important messenger molecules released by neurons – including dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin (1, 2, 7-10). 

Guinea pigs and vitamin C-rich foods

What do humans have in common with guinea pigs? You may have guessed - it is the inability to produce vitamin C! Most mammals make vitamin C in their livers, but a few species including guinea pigs, bats and primates – and humans too! – lost this ability during their evolution. Therefore, the only way to get Vitamin C into the body is to eat it (2, 10). Fortunately, many plant foods contain ample amounts of vitamin C, including fruits such as berries, kiwi, and citrus fruits, along with vegetables like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and peppers (11). So now you know that the benefits of eating five portions of fruit and veg don’t just support a healthy lifestyle – they get your brain high on vitamin C - providing not just a great source of antioxidant protection, but key neurological support too.

References

1. Huskisson E, Maggini S, Ruf M. The influence of micronutrients on cognitive function and performance. J Int Med Res. 2007;35(1):1-19.
2. Kocot J, Luchowska-Kocot D, Kiełczykowska M, Musik I, Kurzepa J. Does Vitamin C Influence Neurodegenerative Diseases and Psychiatric Disorders? Nutrients. 2017;9(7).
3. Travica N, Ried K, Hudson I, Sali A, Scholey A, Pipingas A. The Contribution of Plasma and Brain Vitamin C on Age and Gender-Related Cognitive Differences: A Mini-Review of the Literature. Front Integr Neurosci. 2020;14:47.
4. Lykkesfeldt J, Tveden-Nyborg P. The Pharmacokinetics of Vitamin C. Nutrients. 2019;11(10).
5. Di Meo S, Venditti P. Evolution of the Knowledge of Free Radicals and Other Oxidants. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2020;2020:9829176.
6. Raichle ME, Gusnard DA. Appraising the brain's energy budget. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2002;99(16):10237-9.
7. Ballaz SJ, Rebec GV. Neurobiology of vitamin C: Expanding the focus from antioxidant to endogenous neuromodulator. Pharmacol Res. 2019;146:104321.
8. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products N, Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to vitamin C and protection of DNA, proteins and lipids from oxidative damage (ID 129, 138, 143, 148), antioxidant function of lutein (ID 146), maintenance of vision (ID 141, 142), collagen formation (ID 130, 131, 136, 137, 149), function of the nervous system (ID 133), function of the immune system (ID 134), function of the immune system during and after extreme physical exercise (ID 144), non-haem iron absorption (ID 132, 147), energy-yielding metabolism (ID 135), and relief in case of irritation in the upper respiratory tract (ID 1714, 1715) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal. 2009;7(10):1226.
9. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products N, Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to vitamin C and reduction of tiredness and fatigue (ID 139, 2622), contribution to normal psychological functions (ID 140), regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E (ID 202), contribution to normal energy-yielding metabolism (ID 2334, 3196), maintenance of the normal function of the immune system (ID 4321) and protection of DNA, proteins and lipids from oxidative damage (ID 3331) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal. 2010;8(10):1815.
10. Tveden-Nyborg P. Vitamin C Deficiency in the Young Brain-Findings from Experimental Animal Models. Nutrients. 2021;13(5).
11. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products N, Allergies. Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for vitamin C. EFSA Journal. 2013;11(11):3418.