Vitamin C (as Calcium Ascorbate)

Function #1: Vitamin C is a critical antioxidant in the brain.

Vitamin C is often heralded as the most powerful water-soluble antioxidant and protects the brain’s cellular membranes from free radicals generated from neuronal mitochondrial activity. Free radicals are highly reactive atoms or molecules that can cause damage to cells when they react with them, causing chain reactions that result in cell death or poor cell function. Antioxidants such as Vitamin C can react freely with free-radicals, preventing this process from beginning.

Harrison FE, May JM. Vitamin C Function in the Brain: Vital Role of the Ascorbate Transporter (SVCT2). Free radical biology & medicine. 2009;46(6):719-730. doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2008.12.018.

Function #2: Vitamin C is crucial for neurotransmitter synthesis

Vitamin C is required to convert tryptophan, an amino acid that you can get from consuming protein, into serotonin and to convert dopamine into norepinephrine. It is also required by some critical enzymes as a cofactor, most particularly those that synthesize neurotransmitters such as dopamine and adrenaline.

Prerana G, Sanchit T, Jigar H. Relationship Between Depression and Vitamin C Status: A Study on Rural Patients From Western Uttar Pradesh in India. International Journal of Scientific Study. 2014;1(4):37-39.

Harrison FE, May JM. Vitamin C Function in the Brain: Vital Role of the Ascorbate Transporter (SVCT2). Free radical biology & medicine. 2009;46(6):719-730. doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2008.12.018.

Function #3: Vitamin C helps modulate neurotransmission

Vitamin C participates in central nervous system signal transduction through neurotransmitters, and Vitamin C is suggested to influence this process via modulating of binding of neurotransmitters to receptors as well as regulating their release. Furthermore, Vitamin C is involved in the synthesis and modulation of nervous system hormones by serving as a cofactor for dopamine β-hydroxylase, which is involved in modulating neurotransmitter receptors.

Kocot J, Luchowska-Kocot D, Kiełczykowska M, Musik I, Kurzepa J. Does Vitamin C Influence Neurodegenerative Diseases and Psychiatric Disorders? Nutrients. 2017;9(7):659. doi:10.3390/nu9070659.

Englard S, Seifter S. The Biochemical Functions of Ascorbic Acid. Annual Review of Nutrition. 1986;6(1):365-406. doi:10.1146/annurev.nu.06.070186.002053.

Harrison FE, May JM. Vitamin C Function in the Brain: Vital Role of the Ascorbate Transporter (SVCT2). Free radical biology & medicine. 2009;46(6):719-730. doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2008.12.018.

Rebec G, Christopher Pierce R. A vitamin as neuromodulator: Ascorbate release into the extracellular fluid of the brain regulates dopaminergic and glutamatergic transmission. Progress in Neurobiology. 1994;43(6):537-565. doi:10.1016/0301-0082(94)90052-3.