Vitamin C : How to Prevent Heart Disease

Vitamin C- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is integral to heart health. It is believed to help prevent the fonnation of oxysterols.19 By combining the amino acid lysine with vitamin C, it may be possible to dissolve clots in the bloodstream.2o

Studies also reveal that vitamin C is required for collagen synthe­sis and is therefore necessary to maintain the integrity of the walls of arteries.2I Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, Ph.D., believed that a defi­ciency of vitamin C may precipitate arteriosclerosis because it causes defects in the arterial walls due to reduced collagen synthesis.22 Drs. Pauling and Rath have shown in preliminary studies that vitamin C supplementation can reverse arteriosclerosis in humans.23

In a study conducted on guinea pigs, it was found that the equivalent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamin C offered virtually no protection against arterial damage. When the amount of vitamin C was increased to a dose equivalent to 2,800 mg for a 154-pound human, the researchers were able to reverse the damage.24

"Vitamin C reverses oxidation and prevents free radical formation" states William Lee Cowden M.D., of Richardson, Texas. "In a diet that involves reducing fats, vitamin C is as integral part of helping the body to repair itself."  In patients with existing cardiovascular disease, Dr. Cowden recommends that vitamin C be taken to bowel tolerance (the maximum amount a parson can take before causing loose stools or diarrhea) He suggests a minimum of three to four doses daily, increasing the amount until bowel tolerance.

"For example," explains Dr. Cowden, "the first dose should be 1,000 mg, the second dose 2,000 mg, the third dose 3,000 mg, and the fourth dose 4,000 mg. Stay on bowel tolerance until cardiovascular disease is resolved, and then go on a 3,000-mg maintenance dose. For those who are well but want to prevent cardiovascular disease, 3,000 to 10,000 mg daily is sufficient."

Higher doses of vitamin C should be taken with adequate amounts of water, magnesium, and vitamin B6, adds Dr. Cowden.

A study conducted by James E. Enstrom, M.D., an epidemiologist at the University of California at Los Angeles, suggests that men who consume vitamin C every day, at levels 500% to 666% of the U.S. RDA, live about six years longer than men who don't." 

High doses of vitamin C can dramatically reduce your risk of heart attack or death from other degenerative diseases, according to research results from Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.  Scientists tracked the health outcomes of 72 5 volunteers, 60-101 years old (average age of 73), over a 12-year span. Those individuals who consumed more than 700 mg daily of vitamin C had a 62% reduced risk of dying from heart disease and a 50% reduced mortality rate overall, suggesting that adequate vitamin C intake actually increases lifespan. Concurrent blood analyses of the subjects confirmed that those with high levels of vitamin C in their plasma enjoyed these benefits. The scientists also demonstrated that the highest degree of pro­tection was provided by combining vitamin C intake at this level and dietary foods, such as vegetables, high in natural vitamin C."

High doses of vitamin C can dramatically reduce your risk of heart attack or death from other degenerative diseases, according to research results from Tufts University. Those individuals who consumed more than 700 mg daily of vitamin C had a 62% reduced risk of dying from heart disease and a 50% reduced mortality rate overall.