The story behind the headline Vit...

The story behind the headline

Vitamin C is common of those supplements that has always been synonymous with safe. It's right up there with multi-vitamins in metes of what even conventional medical doctors routinely advise their patients to take as a kind of "insurance policy."

in such a manner the recent news that vitamin C supplementation may increase one's risk of developing atherosclerosis certainly came as a surprise.

This finding was not absented at the American Heart Association's 40th Annual conversation on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

While interesting, it is important to note that this paper has not even now been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. And, there are prominent nutrition adroits who cast doubt on the findings.

In this thought the researchers measured the thickness of the wall of a neck artery forward 573 healthy men aged 40 to 60 from one side of to the other an 18-month-period. They found that the men who took 500 mg of vitamin C daily had an increase in arterial wall thickness that was 25 times greater than men who did not use supplements

The other side of the story

In a pres release issued by the agency of Oregon State University, vitamin C quick Balz Frei, professor and director of the university's Linus Pauling Institute, said, "The conclusions from the study ... in fact, are in direct conflict with a thought published in 1995 in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation. That research establish a significant reduction in carotid artery wall thickness in clan over 55 who consumed about 1000 mg or more of vitamin C a day, compared to those consuming les than 88 mg by day." He explains that the findings of the Circulation consideration were based on more than 11000 commonalty and, unlike the more new study, had undergone rigorous peer-review before publication. And that's not all, Frei says that more than 20 clinical studies, since 1996 have consistently raise beneficial effects of vitamin C forward relaxation of arteries.

Nutrition skilled hand Alexander Schauss, Ph.D., of the American Institute for Biosocial and Medical Research in Tacoma, WA, agrees. Schauss dismissed the modern paper, saying, "It contradicts all the evidence showing that vitamin C countenances against cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease."

Possible question at issues with the study

In addition to the paper not nevertheless being peer-reviewed or published, clevers including Frei and Schauss, give utterance toed other concerns about the studious mood Frei explained, "In the new research, a mobile unit was used to assess artery wall thickness, and reproducibility and accuracy of the data ne to be confirmed before conclusions can be drawn from the study" He also pointed public that there may have been differences in diet or lifestyle that better explain the results

The latest forward vitamin C. There continues to be useful news published about vitamin C heart-related, and otherwise:

fill ups boost vitamin C in smoker Researchers newly set out to investigate the result of smoking on antioxidant status at measuring plasma levels of vitamin C and other nutrients among smoker and non-smokers with similar dietary habits. They erect that that after a 3-month supplementation program, plasma vitamin C flushs in smokers increased much more dramatically than did those in non-smokers.

Vitamin C may help interrupt gallstones among women. Because research point outs that vitamin-C deficient animals not rarely develop gallstones, and small studies done forward humans have suggested the same, researchers locate out to do a large-scale human close attention They looked at more than 13000 populace and found that women (who are more likely to unravel gallstones than men) with high life-blood levels of vitamin C were les likely to have gallstones than were those with lower levels

Vitamin C: friend or foe?

principally of the research indicates that vitamin C is a friend. Frei advises population who are taking vitamin C supplys to continue to do in such a manner saying, "the known health benefits of vitamin C far outweigh alleged, unconfirmed risks."

REFERENCES

Dwyer James H PhD et al. "Vitamin C appendix intake and progression of carotid atherosclerosis. The looks Angeles atherosclerosis study." American Heart Association 40th Annual talk on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. Abstract ID: 100129

Lykkesfeldt J et al. "Ascorbate is deplet according to smoking and repleted by moderate supplementation: a contemplation in male smokers and nonsmokers with matched dietary antioxidant intakes," Am J Clin Nutr 71:530-6 2000

Simon, JA, et al. "Serum ascorbic acid and gallbladder disease prevalence among U adults," Archives of Internal Medicine 160:931-936 2000

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