ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1585863
This article is part of the Research TopicImpact of nutrition on brain healthView all 3 articles
Vitamin C Intake and Cognitive Function in Older U.S. Adults: Nonlinear Dose-Response Associations and Effect Modification by Smoking Status
Provisionally accepted
- 1The Affiliated Guangzhou Hospital of TCM of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- 2Sleep Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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Objective: To investigate the association between vitamin C intake and cognitive function in U.S. older adults, focusing on dose-response characteristics and effect modification of key subgroups. Methods: Utilizing data from the 2011–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), this cross-sectional study included 2,801 adults aged ≥ 60 years. Total vitamin C intake was assessed via standardized 24-hour dietary recalls and supplement questionnaires. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) Word Learning Test, Animal Fluency Test (AFT), and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Multivariate adjusted linear regression models, smooth curve fitting, and stratified regression analyses were employed to examine associations and effect modification. Results: Our analysis revealed a nonlinear dose-response relationship between vitamin C intake and cognitive performance. In fully adjusted models, participants in the highest intake quartile (Q4) showed significantly better performance on the Auditory Fluency Test (AFT; β = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.37–1.85) and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST; β = 3.35, 95% CI: 1.49–5.21) compared to those in the lowest quartile (Q1). Threshold analyses indicated that cognitive protection for DSST peaked at an intake of 500 mg/day, while AFT benefits plateaued at 120 mg/day. Stratified analyses further demonstrated that the cognitive benefits of vitamin C were more pronounced among smokers (DSST: β = 0.59 per 100 mg/day, P = 0.0009), with no significant associations observed in non-smokers.Conclusion: Vitamin C intake is associated with improved cognitive function in older U.S. adults, with distinct dose-dependent and domain-specific threshold effects. Smoking status significantly modifies this relationship, suggesting that personalized supplementation strategies targeting smokers may enhance cognitive protection.
Keywords: vitamin C, Cognitive Function, NHANES, older adults, Dose-response relationship, smoking status
Received: 01 Mar 2025; Accepted: 22 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 He, Lin, Wu, Li, Zhong, Zhang and Weng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yanhong Zhang, The Affiliated Guangzhou Hospital of TCM of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
Xuliang Weng, The Affiliated Guangzhou Hospital of TCM of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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