VITAMIN C LOWERS STROKE RISK BY 42 PERCENT
-
Researchers working at the University of Cambridge in England found that individuals with low blood levels of Vitamin C can be expected to have more strokes, independent of other known risk factors. Those with increased blood levels of the vitamin were determined to have 42 percent less probability of suffering a stroke.
The study followed more than 20,600 people over a ten year period. Its authors speculated that beneficial effects from high Vitamin C blood levels may be associated with generally healthy behaviors, such as high intake of fruits and vegetables. But they also pointed out that Vitamin C itself may “biochemically affect stroke risk.” The latter view was espoused by Nobel prize winner Linus Pauling, who argued that megadoses of Vitamin C could increase lifespan by 30 years or more.
The number one cause of disability in Europe and the US is stroke. Stroke, which occurs when an artery break in the brain stops blood flow, is also the third leading cause of death.
Authors of the study suggested that measuring plasma levels of Vitamin C could be a valuable means of determining stroke risk. The conventional method of looking at cardiovascular disease risk factors to assess stroke risk misses about half of all strokes, they wrote.
The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Jan 2008, Vol 87, pages 64-69.
Email This Article