Vitamin C could be the Key to Retain Muscle Mass during Old Age, Study Suggests

Dec, 2020 - By WMR

According to new research study by the researchers of University of East Anglia (UEA) have suggested that vitamin C could help individuals above 50 to retain skeletal muscle mass in later life. Researchers also reported that elderly with vitamin C rich diet (berries, citrus fruits, and vegetables) exhibited the best skeletal muscle mass.

Ailsa Welch Lead stated, “As people age, they lose skeletal muscle mass and strength. It's a big problem, because it can lead to frailty and other poor outcomes such as sarcopenia, physical disability, type-2 diabetes, reduced quality of life. We know that Vitamin C consumption is linked with skeletal muscle mass. Until now, few studies have investigated the importance of Vitamin C intake for older people. We wanted to find out whether people eating more Vitamin C had more muscle mass than other people."

In this research study, researchers evaluated data of over 13,000 individuals of age group 42-82 years, who were a part of European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Norfolk Study. Researchers evaluated skeletal muscle mass and examined their vitamin C intake from a seven-day food diary. They further evaluated the amount of vitamin C in their blood. Researchers observed that individual with increased vitamin C intake exhibited highest skeletal muscle mass in comparison compared to individuals with low amount of Vitamin C in diet or blood.

According to the findings, researchers suggested that vitamin C in the diet is vital for maintaining muscle health especially in elderly and women and could be beneficial in preventing age-related muscle loss. Moreover, they also suggested that Vitamin C is naturally available in fruits especially citrus fruits and vegetables and consuming them on a regular basis would be beneficial for elderly.