You’ve probably heard that pirates and sailors of yore stocked up on vitamin C-rich citrus fruits to prevent scurvy.
But it’s possible that those seafaring men also kept their minds sharper for longer (assuming that they went easy on the rum).
Yes, it turns out that we can learn a thing or two from Blackbeard and the like!
A new study found that senior citizens who consume plenty of vitamin C—plus another easy-to-find nutrient—may be less likely to develop dementia with age.
Here’s how this research came about. A group of German scientists knew that oxidative stress—which restricts the use of oxygen in the body, causing cells to break down—plays an important role in the aging process, where all of our body’s systems (including the neurological system) begin to slowly break down. Dementia occurs when the brain degenerates more aggressively than normal. So the researchers wanted to see whether antioxidants, vitamins that can fight off the damage caused by oxidative stress, might help prevent brain degeneration. That’s what we learned from our chat with Gabriele Nagel, MD, MPH, the study’s lead author.
For the study, Dr. Nagel and her colleague Christine von Arnim, MD, analyzed data on more than 1,500 men and women between the ages of 65 and 90—some had mild dementia and some were healthy. When researchers analyzed their blood samples, they noticed a trend: People with dementia had significantly lower blood levels of vitamin C and another antioxidant, beta-carotene, than people without dementia. And this held true after controlling for body mass index, education levels, smoking status, alcohol consumption and current dietary supplement use. The researchers also tested the blood for concentrations of several other antioxidants, including coenzyme Q10, lycopene and vitamin E—but they found no similar connection between those other antioxidants and a reduced dementia risk.
So does this mean that eating more foods containing vitamin C and beta-carotene helps prevent dementia? It’s a possibility, although that’s not what this study proved. It showed only an association, meaning that some other relationship could have caused the results—for example, it’s possible that people with dementia tend to consume less of those particular antioxidants.
On the other hand, vitamin C and beta-carotene are not (of course) exotic and dangerous substances…they’re healthful nutrients found naturally in certain wholesome foods…so if we want to think of this dementia study as another reason to eat these foods, there’s no harm done!
Beta-carotene is found in high amounts in (as you know) carrots—but also in sweet potatoes, kale, winter squash, cabbage and pumpkins. Good sources of vitamin C include not only citrus fruits but also spinach, strawberries, kiwi, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts—and that’s certainly better eating than you’d find on any pirate ship!
