What Vitamin C Can Do For Your Heart

The scientists in Copenhagen created a conceptually simple research study to find out if the the presence or absence of the gene that keeps vitamin C levels high makes a difference in health. They compared groups of people who had the gene to groups of people who did not, starting by doing genetic testing on 97,203 people. Of these 97,203 Danes 10,203 had ischemic heart disease, and over eight thousand died during the course of the study. 

 

This arm of the study told the researhers whether the presence or absence of the gene made a difference in getting and surviving heart disease. The researchers also measured bloodstream vitamin C levels in over 3,500 participants in the study to conform that vitamin C levels were determinative, that they weren't just a random indicator when the really important process was something else.

 

 

The bottom line of the study was that people who had the gene that keeps vitamin C levels high were 22 percent less likely to develop heart disease. They were not necessarily more likely to be protected from other diseases, although the general trend of the data was that they had a lower risk of death from all causes. The differences in vitamin C levels between the two groups was not a lot, not even the amount of vitamin C that you can eat from eating an apple or an orange. That tiny amount of extra vitamin C, however, seems to protect the heart.

 

Nothing in this study suggests that anyone needs to run out and buy massive amoiunts of vitamin C supplements. The difference in bloodstream vitamin C concentrations corresponds just to about 15 mg a day. In fact, there is also evidence that getting too much vitamin C (over 3,000 mg a day) can accelerate atherosclerosis. 

 

In very high concentrations, vitamin C becomes pro-oxidant rather than antioxidant. (There are situations in which this is a good thing, such as cancer treatment, but to do any good with vitamin C in treating cancer, one needs to get it by IV. The digestive tract simply cannot absorb enough vitamin C for cancer treatment.) While the researchers only looked at vitamin C, it's important to heed the advice of the discover of vitamin C and get the plant foods that provide the cofactors that recharge the vitamin and keep it active. 

 

It turns out that there is one more reason to get your vitamin from food rather than supplements. 

Higher vitamin C levels were associated with lower risk of ischemic heart disease, but greater consumption of fruits and vegetables was associated with longer life. If you want a healthy heart and a longer life, eat your veggies and fruit.