According to research from the European Journal of Nutrition, an inadequate level of vitamin C in your body (i.e., blood) “is related to a low level of mental vitality” in young adults aged 20 to 39. What does “mental vitality” mean, exactly? In this study, they’re referring to a few different factors: work motivation, attentional focus, and overall cognitive performance on tasks requiring sustained attention.
In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, researchers concluded that “Compared to the placebo, vitamin C supplementation significantly increased attention and work absorption with distinct tendency of improvement on fatigue and comprehensive work engagement.”* The young adults received a daily vitamin C dose of 1,000 mg over four weeks to net these impressive gains.
More specifically, the participants taking a daily vitamin C supplement performed better on a color-word test, demonstrating longer attention capacity and increased processing speed than their counterparts who didn’t take 1,000 mg of vitamin C.*
