Vitamin C supplementation promotes mental vitality in healthy young adults: results from a cross-sectional analysis and a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Eur J Nutr
; 61(1): 447-459, 2022 Feb.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34476568
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
We aimed to investigate the link of vitamin C status with vitality and psychological functions in a cross-sectional study, and examine their causal relationship through a randomized controlled trial (RCT).METHODS:
We first conducted a population-based cross-sectional investigation of healthy young adults (n = 214, 20-39 years), and analyzed the associations of serum vitamin C concentrations with vitality (fatigue and attention) and mood status (stress, depression, and positive and negative affect) using Pearson's correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. Next, we performed a double-blind RCT in healthy subjects whose serum vitamin C concentrations were inadequate (< 50 µmol/L). Subjects were randomly allocated to receive 500 mg of vitamin C twice a day for 4 weeks (n = 24) or a placebo (n = 22). We assessed vitality, which included fatigue, attention, work engagement, and self-control resources, and measured mood status, including stress, depression, positive and negative affect, and anxiety. ELISA determined serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and a Stroop color-word test evaluated attention capacity and processing speed.RESULTS:
In the cross-sectional data, the serum vitamin C concentration was positively associated with the level of attention (r = 0.16, p = 0.02; standardized ß = 0.21, p = 0.003), while no significant associations with the levels of fatigue and mood variables being found. In the RCT, compared to the placebo, the vitamin C supplementation significantly increased attention (p = 0.03) and work absorption (p = 0.03) with distinct tendency of improvement on fatigue (p = 0.06) and comprehensive work engagement (p = 0.07). The vitamin C supplementation did not affect mood and serum concentrations of BDNF. However, in the Stroop color-word test, the subjects supplemented with vitamin C showed better performance than those in the placebo group (p = 0.04).CONCLUSION:
Inadequate vitamin C status is related to a low level of mental vitality. Vitamin C supplementation effectively increased work motivation and attentional focus and contributed to better performance on cognitive tasks requiring sustained attention. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER AND DATE OF REGISTRATION Cross-sectional study KCT0005074 (cris.nih.go.kr)/1 June, 2020 (retrospectively registered). Intervention study KCT0004276 (cris.nih.go.kr)/4 September, 2019.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Vitaminas
/
Suplementos Nutricionais
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
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Observational_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article