What are the risks and benefits of using vitamin C for depression and anxiety?
“For adults, emerging evidence suggests that higher daily intakes of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables are associated with lower rates of anxiety, higher levels of happiness, higher life satisfaction, and greater social-emotional well-being,” says a review in the journal Nutrients. Therefore, “persuading people to consume more fruits and vegetables may not only benefit their physical health in the long term, but also their mental health in the short term,” the study published in the Journal of Social Science and Medicine concludes. For example, fruit consumption has a protective link with major causes of death, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer, as well as depression. The question is why?
Several mechanisms have been proposed. For example, some argue that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of produce are due to scavenging free radicals that are responsible for some of the inflammation associated with depression. In that case, why not just take a vitamin C supplement? Because the brain has the highest levels of vitamin C in the body, it is thought that too much vitamin C may play some therapeutic role in brain diseases, especially considering that vitamin C is not just an antioxidant but also has other important functions in the brain, such as helping to produce neurotransmitters such as dopamine. But you won’t know if it’s actually useful until you try it.
One study found a beneficial effect of adding vitamin C as an adjunct treatment to antidepressants, whereas another study found no benefit to vitamin C supplementation.
So, there are mixed results when it comes to vitamin C and depression. Another study found no effect when it came to depression, but one that randomly administered vitamin C instead of a placebo pill showed a significant reduction in anxiety levels. And this isn’t just what was seen in that study.
The effect of oral vitamin C supplementation on anxiety in high school students was studied in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. The teens were given 500 mg of vitamin C a day or a placebo. The daily amount of vitamin C is equivalent to five oranges, four yellow kiwi fruits or guavas, or one and a half yellow bell peppers. Within just two weeks, vitamin C reduced anxiety levels and also significantly lowered heart rate compared to a placebo.
Given these data indicating that vitamin C may have an anxiety-reducing effect, researchers sought to find out whether a single dose of vitamin C could have a profound effect on emotional state. And in fact, within just two hours of taking vitamin C, study participants experienced a significant reduction in anxiety compared to a placebo, but only among those who were the most anxious to begin with, as you can see below and at 2 minutes and 42 seconds of my video “Do Vitamin C Supplements Help Anxiety?”
As a bonus, vitamin C supplementation can lower your blood pressure by a few points, but eating whole fruits and vegetables has the same effect and may be even better for those who need it the most, as shown below and at 2:53 of my video.
As previously shown, adding just two servings of fruits and vegetables a day can produce psychological well-being effects within just two weeks, without the kidney stone risk associated with vitamin C supplements, but this seems to be a problem only for men.
doctor’s note
For more information about vitamin C and anxiety, check out the related posts below.
