Vitamin C Found to Reduce Death Risk by 50%

A British study shows that vitamin C can reduce the risk of heart disease and other illnesses, and that the risk of death in healthy adults is reduced by 50% among those who have higher levels of vitamin C in their blood, compared to those who had lower levels.

The study, conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, was published in the March 3, 2001 issue of The Lancet. The Cambridge researchers found that vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and removes free radicals from the body. "The relation with mortality was continuous through the whole distribution of ascorbic acid concentrations,” they noted.

In another study on children and passive smoking, researchers of the University of Medicine of New Jersey (New Brunswick, USA) found that children exposed to passive smoking in the home have lower levels of vitamin C in their bloodstream. They said that high levels of free radicals in tobacco smoke are believed to be responsible for decreased levels of vitamin C not only in smokers but also in children who are subjected to smoking in their homes.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics (2001,107;3), found no difference in the vitamin C intake between children exposed to passive smoke and those who lived in homes with non-smoking parents. The children of smokers averaged 20% less vitamin C, and the more parents smoked, the lower the levels of vitamin C were in their children's bloodstream.




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The Lancet