Gender Differences in Plasma Vitamin C Concentrations and Cognitive Function: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study in Healthy Adults
Open Access
- 18 March 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Elsevier BV in Current Developments in Nutrition
- Vol. 4 (4), nzaa038
- https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzaa038
Abstract
A number of investigations have highlighted the importance of vitamin C in maintaining brain health. Biologically, vitamin C has exhibited roles in neuromodulation, neurodevelopment, vascular support, and neuroprotection. Vitamin C's contribution to cognitive function in both cognitively intact and impaired cohorts has previously been assessed, with little focus on gender variability. The present study explored the interaction between gender and plasma vitamin C on cognitive performance, and the effect of different amounts of plasma vitamin C (adequate/inadequate) on various cognitive tasks by gender. This retrospective analysis was conducted in healthy adults (n = 80, female = 52, male = 28, 24–96 y) with a range of blood plasma vitamin C concentrations. Cognitive assessments included the Swinburne University Computerized Cognitive Assessment Battery (SUCCAB) and 2 pen-and-paper tests, the Symbol Digits Modalities Test (SDMT) and the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test–Revised (HVLT-R). Food-frequency questionnaires were used to elucidate dietary consumption. After adjusting for a number of potential covariates such as age, number of prescribed medications and dose of vitamin C supplementation, results indicated a significant interaction (P < 0.001) between plasma vitamin C and gender on cognitive function, on both the computerized and pen-and-paper assessments. A novel finding was that the performance of males with inadequate plasma vitamin C was poorer on tasks involving components of memory (short/delayed), inhibition, and visual perception, whereas females presenting with inadequate vitamin C were more compromised on tasks involving psychomotor performance/motor speed. Additionally, females with adequate vitamin C concentrations exhibited higher performance than males on tasks involving recall, recognition, attention, and focus. Further larger-scale investigations are required to establish a cause-and-effect relation and to elucidate whether differences in cognitive function between genders may be attributed to plasma vitamin C status. This trial was registered at https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=369440&isReview=true as ACTRN12615001140549.Keywords
This publication has 80 references indexed in Scilit:
- Experience and the developing prefrontal cortexProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2012
- Prevalence and Risk Factors for Vitamin C Deficiency in North and South India: A Two Centre Population Based Study in People Aged 60 Years and OverPLOS ONE, 2011
- Differential regulation of the ascorbic acid transporter SVCT2 during development and in response to ascorbic acid depletionBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2011
- Correlations among Brain Gray Matter Volumes, Age, Gender, and Hemisphere in Healthy IndividualsPLOS ONE, 2011
- The curse of the sympathetic nervous system: are men or women more unfortunate?Journal Of Physiology-London, 2010
- The effects of aging on the speed–accuracy compromise: Boundary optimality in the diffusion model.Psychology and Aging, 2010
- Vitamin B-12 and cognition in the elderlyThe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2009
- Brain foods: the effects of nutrients on brain functionNature Reviews Neuroscience, 2008
- Regional variations and the effects of age and gender on glutamate concentrations in the human brainMagnetic Resonance Imaging, 2008
- The hopkins verbal learning test: Development of a new memory test with six equivalent formsThe Clinical Neuropsychologist, 1991