Vitamin C and atherosclerosis
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Daily vitamin C supplementation may increase the progress of atherosclerosis, James Dwyer, PhD, University of Southern California, reports at the American Heart Association's 40th annual conference on cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention in San Diego March 2. Dwyer, et al. recorded the diets and supplemental vitamin C intake of 573 subjects ages 40-60, measuring the thickness of their carotid walls at baseline and after 18 months using noninvasive ultrasound. The researchers noted the progression in carotid wall thickness for those taking 500 mg vitamin C daily was 2.5 times that of those not taking a supplement, while smokers taking 500 mg daily saw a five-fold increase. CRN notes the study is not a clinical trial, the population size was small and no information was provided regarding the rates of arterial thickening