Excess of Vitamin C can lower BP

Technology

Excess of Vitamin C can lower BP

Close

Taking large doses of vitamin C may moderately reduce blood pressure, a study has revealed.

23 April,2012 11:32 pm

However, the researchers from Johns Hopkins University stopped short of suggesting people load up on supplements.“Our research suggests a modest blood pressure lowering effect with vitamin C supplementation, but before we can recommend supplements as a treatment for high blood pressure, we really need more research to understand the implications of taking them,” Edgar “Pete” R. Miller III, the study leader, said.Roughly 30 percent of adults in the United States have high blood pressure, or hypertension, an important risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Successful treatment may include drugs, exercise, weight loss, and dietary changes such as reducing salt intake.Some experts believe that large amounts of vitamin C, an essential micronutrient found primarily in fruits and vegetables, could lower pressure as well, but randomized, controlled dietary intervention studies — the gold standard of nutrition research — have produced mixed results.Miller and his colleagues reviewed and analyzed data from 29 randomized, controlled, previously published clinical trials that reported systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure values and also compared vitamin C intake to a placebo.