The one-fourth of men with the lowest plasma vitamin C levels were 2.1 times more likely to have a stroke during a 10.4 year follow-up compared to the one-fourth of men with the highest vitamin C levels according to a study from Finland which followed 2419 middle-aged men, 42- to 60-years-old, with no history of stroke at baseline.

This was after adjusting for body mass index, systolic blood pressure, smoking, alcohol consumption, serum total cholesterol, diabetes, and exercise-induced myocardial ischemia.

Low vitamin C in hypertensive men and overweight men and risk of stroke: 2.4X greater risk and 2.7X greater risk

Comparing the one-fourth of men with the lowest serum vitamin C levels versus the one-fourth with the highest levels, the risk of stroke was 2.4 times higher in hypertensive men and 2.7 times higher in overweight men.

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Vitamin C at a dose of 1000 mg per day reduced C-reactive protein by 25 percent in people with levels above 1.0 mg per deciliter.

This was as much as occurs with statin drugs used to lower cholesterol levels.

Three-fourth of obese people (75 percent) had levels of C-reactive protein at or above 1.0 mg per deciliter.

"In summary, treatment with vitamin C but not vitamin E significantly reduced CRP among individuals with CRP >/=1.0 mg/L," the researchers concluded.

C-reactive protein is produced by the liver and by fat cells. Elevated levels of C-reactive protein are associated with an increased risk of heart attack and are a marker for inflammation in the body. Levels are elevated in obesity people because, as one researcher said, obesity is a chronic inflammatory state. Read the entire article | Email this article