Briefs · Frontier Science
Higher vitamin C intake during pregnancy linked to fewer negative emotions, fussiness and distress in infants at 6 months, potentially indicating a lower risk of future mental health disorders
A cheap pill may do what a perfect diet cannot: buffer a baby against stress. Firstly, the chain. Stressed mothers in pregnancy tend to eat less vitamin C — and their babies, at six months, show more fussiness and distress. That is not a mood; it is an early marker for mental-health risk. The womb is not a waiting room. It is the first classroom. Secondly, the twist. In over 300 women studied at Oregon Health & Science University, vitamin C from food did nothing for this link. Vitamin C from a pill did. Same vitamin, different delivery — and only the supplement mediated the effect. Officially, food is best; unofficially, the pill is the one that showed up. Thirdly, the caveat. This is observational, not a trial: no blood levels were measured, and supplement-takers may differ in other ways. About a quarter of pregnant women in America already get less vitamin C than they need. Conclusion: an orange is lovely. A pill is cheap, accessible, and — for once — the thing worth testing properly.
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