Improve your mood with Vitamin C

Smiling Face
(Image credit: Unknown)

The problem
You regularly feel down in the dumps.

The solution
Start taking vitamin C supplements. As well as improving iron absorption and helping to maintain healthy skin, vitamin C – also known as ascorbic acid – has been found to improve mood significantly. The human body can’t produce it either, so deficiency can be a common problem.

The science
Hospital patients who were given vitamin C supplements recorded improved mood response scores, with an average improvement of 34%, in a study published in the journal Nutrition. What’s more, patients with existing vitamin deficiencies recorded the largest improvements.

Hospital patients who were given vitamin C supplements recorded improved mood response scores, with an average improvement of 34%, in a study published in the journal Nutrition. What’s more, patients with existing vitamin deficiencies recorded the largest improvements.

Joe Warner
Former editor of Men’s Fitness UK

Joe Warner is a highly experienced journalist and editor who began working in fitness media in 2008. He has featured on the cover of Men’s Fitness UK twice and has co-authored Amazon best-sellers including 12-Week Body Plan. He was the editor of Men’s Fitness UK magazine between 2016 and 2019, when that title shared a website with Coach.