Vitamin C linked to reduced stroke risk
22 Feb worldnewsandwire.com
Prelimiary research suggests getting your daily dose of vitamin C
such as in the form of citrus can protect you against one type of
stroke.
A small study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy
of Neurology indicated that risk of hemorrhagic stroke is lower among
people with normal vitamin C blood levels compared to those with low or
deficient levels.
While hemorrhagic stroke is less common than ischemic stroke, it is
the deadlier of the two.“Our results show that vitamin C deficiency
should be considered a risk factor for this severe type of stroke, as
were high blood pressure, drinking alcohol and being overweight in our
study,” study researcher Dr. Stéphane Vannier, M.D., of Pontchaillou
University Hospital in France, said in a statement.
“More research is needed to explore specifically how vitamin C may
help to reduce stroke risk. For example, the vitamin may regulate blood
pressure.”
The study involved testing vitamin C blood levels in 65 individuals
who had suffered an intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke and 65 people who
had never had a stroke.
Research showed that of all 130 people, 45 percent had normal vitamin
C levels and 45 percent had very low levels. The people who had not
experienced strokes were those with high levels of the vitamin.While
this research is still considered in the preliminary stage as it has not
yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, past studies have also
linked vitamin C with reduced stroke risk.
A 2008 University of Cambridge study found people with high blood
levels of vitamin C reduced their stroke risk by 42 percent, and a
similar 1995 study in the British Medical Journal indicated elderly
people with low levels of the vitamin had a greater risk of stroke.This
research would only add to the long list of vitamin C benefits, such as
its ability to boost immunity. Recommended doses for adult men and women
are 90 and 75 milligrams per day, respectively.
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