24 January 2014
According to a new study from France increased intakes of vitamin C may reduce the risk of developing hemorrhagic stroke.
The observational study compared blood vitamin C concentrations of 65 patients who had experienced an intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke with blood levels of 65 healthy participants (1). The study results showed that 41% of the participants had sufficient levels of vitamin C, 45% showed insufficient levels and 14% were considered vitamin C deficient. On average, the participants who had suffered a stroke had significantly lower levels of vitamin C, while those who had not had a stroke had normal levels of the vitamin.
The researchers commented that results of the study show that vitamin C deficiency should be considered a risk factor for this severe type of stroke, along with high blood pressure, drinking alcohol and being over- weight. Hemorrhagic stroke, or a blood vessel rupture inside the brain, is less common than ischemic stroke, but can often prove to be more fatal. More research is needed to explore specifically how vitamin C may help to reduce stroke risk. For example, the vitamin may regulate blood pressure. Vitamin C deficiency has also been linked to coronary heart disease (2).
15 January 2013
Emerging scientific evidence supports a number of potential roles for folate in maintaining health, from maternal and fetal health in pregnancy, through childhood, to preventing chronic disease in middle and old age.
20 June 2014
A new UK study suggests that a supplementation with lycopene may significantly improve the widening of the blood vessels in patients with cardiovascular disease.
1 June 2011
Observations from epidemiological studies on the protective effect of antioxidant micronutrients in relation to cardiovascular diseases (see Part 1) warranted an attempt to prove the hypothesis by means of intervention studies. However, the results of many randomized controlled studies were disappointing: many investigations revealed few, if any, differences between groups receiving placebo and those receiving food supplements with vitamin C and/or E and beta-carotene in regard to the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, a benefit was found in only a few groups.
