Vitamin C Supports Mood

by VRP Staff

A recently published study investigated the association between vitamin C and vitamin D and mood state in hospitalized patients.

This new double-blind clinical trial evaluated the effect of supplementation with vitamin C and vitamin D in hospitalized patients to determine if there was any impact on mood. Previous research has shown that vitamin D and vitamin C deficiency is associated with psychological abnormalities. In this study, subjects received 500 mg of vitamin C twice daily or 1,000 IU of vitamin D twice daily. The subjects were then evaluated for mood using a standardized questionnaire.

The results of the study found that vitamin C supplementation in acutely hospitalized patients resulted in increased vitamin C concentrations, as measured in their white blood cells. More importantly, vitamin C supplementation resulted in a 34 percent enhancement in healthy moods in these patients. Vitamin D supplementation increased plasma vitamin D levels (25-hydroxyvitamin D), but did not affect mood.

The researchers concluded, “Treatment of hypovitaminosis C improves the mood state of acutely hospitalized patients.”

Reference:

Zhang M, Robitaille L, Eintracht S, Hoffer LJ. Vitamin C provision improves mood in acutely hospitalized patients. Nutrition. 2010 Aug 4. Published Online Ahead of Print.