The Benefits of Vitamin C - Heart Disease, Blood Pressure, Cancer

Vitamin C and Heart Disease
As an antioxidant, vitamin C may improve immune function and reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing the oxidation of LDL (low density lipoprotein of 'bad' cholesterol). A lipoprotein is a molecule that carries fat through the blood. Research indicates that LDL oxidation increases the risk for plaque formation, which can clog arteries lead to a heart attack or stroke. Vitamin C also protects vitamin E from oxidation. Research has shown that vitamin E protects against heart disease, too.

Vitamin C may also affect heart health by preventing blood vessels from constricting and thus cutting off blood supply to the heart. This benefit may even be seen in people who already have cardiovascular disease. In one study of individuals with disease arteries, taking 500 milligrams of supplemental vitamin C per day for a month completely normalized the blood flow in their arteries. A number of studied have also shown that supplementing with 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C per day can help block the dangerous artery-destroying effects of the amino acid homocysteine.

Vitamin C and Blood Pressure
Supplementing with 500 milligrams of vitamin C per day may lower blood pressure according to a recent study. Evidently vitamin C increases the activity and levels of nitric oxide, which relaxes arteries and lowers blood pressure. Nitric oxide also helps prevent clot formation and plaque buildup on artery walls.

Vitamin C and Cancer
There is growing evidence that vitamin C may have a protective effect in cancers of the esophagus, mouth, pharynx, stomach, pancreas, cervix, rectum, breast, and lung. The most promising evidence, however, is with stomach cancer. High doses of vitamin C in animals inhibit H.pylori. the bacterium that is responsible for most ulcers and possibly an increased risk of stomach cancer. Vitamin C may also protect against cancer by neutralizing free radicals or blocking the formation of nitrosamines. These carcinogenic compounds form when nitrates or nitrites combine with substances called amines in the digestive juices of the stomach.

Interestingly, a recent study suggested that individuals with cancer who take megadoses of vitamin C may actually be hurting themselves rather than helping. It seems that cancer cells contain vitamin C, which may protect them from oxidation. Many cancer treatments, especially radiation, work by causing oxygen damage to cancer cells. Thus, vitamin C may be working against some forms of cancer treatment. Although these findings are preliminary, the researchers advise that cancer patients avoid supplementing with more than RDA for vitamin C.