Vitamin C and Cardiovascular Health: How Vitamin C Supports Heart Health
Most people immediately think of the immune system when they think of vitamin C - and with good reason. Vitamin C has many proven benefits for warding off illness and keeping our immune defenses at its best.
But this is only one small part of what vitamin C can do for our bodies. Did you know that another benefit of vitamin C is supporting the cardiovascular system?
If you have heart disease, or related risk factors, or have a family history of heart disease, please read on. This article may have you considering vitamin C far beyond the winter months to support your heart and overall health, all year long.
What Does Vitamin C Do?
Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that’s found in a variety of foods. Foods that are high in vitamin C include berries, citrus fruits, kiwis, leafy greens, bell peppers, cantaloupe and even broccoli.1 Vitamin C benefits our bodies in a number of ways:
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Supports a strong immune system2
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Plays a role in collagen production throughout the body, including our blood vessels3
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Helps improve iron absorption1
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Functions as a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory4
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Accelerates wound healing5
How Does Vitamin C Support the Heart?
Since vitamin C wears so many hats, it typically plays a unique role in supporting our cardiovascular system and reducing risk factors for heart disease.
Specifically, its function as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory can benefit our blood vessels, blood pressure, and overall cardiovascular health in a number of exciting ways. This article will outline 3 primary ways that the benefits of vitamin C may help reduce your heart disease risk factors.
1-Providing Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Support
Most of us know vitamin C is an antioxidant, but what do antioxidants do?
Antioxidants are compounds that help us fight off free radical damage. Harmful free radicals are produced in our body every day simply by living, moving, and breathing. But free radicals also result from disease or other stressors such as smoking or poor diet.
These free radicals, if left unchecked, can impact our cardiovascular system.
Cue vitamin C.
Its role is to primarily sweep up these unwanted free radicals and prevent them from causing damage to our cells.
Additionally, vitamin C can help other antioxidants work even better, so vitamin C is typically performing doing double-duty to keep our tissues healthy and working properly.
All of the above is thought to directly impact our heart and blood vessels by protecting these vital organs from free radical damage.6
Furthermore, these vitamin C benefits may help our heart by:
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Lowering levels of c-reactive protein and interleukin 6, both markers of inflammation7
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Reducing inflammatory damage to blood vessels so that they can stay strong and flexible8
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Decreasing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which may form plaques in our arteries7
Vitamin C appears to be playing strong defense for us, keeping pro-oxidant and inflammatory assaults to our cardiovascular system at bay.
2-Regulating Blood Pressure
The powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory roles of vitamin C can help lower blood pressure as well. This is important because we’ve been told that high blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease.
Incredibly, vitamin C may offer crucial support in keeping our arteries flexible and our blood pressure under control.
Studies suggest that vitamin C may help balance blood pressure by:
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Reducing stiffness of the arteries so blood flows better7
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Helping ward off plaque formation in the arteries by reducing inflammation9
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Acting as a mild diuretic to balance fluids10
Studies have suggested that 500mg or more per day of vitamin C may be needed to see benefits, but more research is needed.10
3-Improving Cholesterol Numbers
Watching cholesterol levels is thought to be another important part of cardiovascular disease prevention. High “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and low “good cholesterol “HDL” are most likely risk factors for heart disease.
Once again, vitamin C may be here to help!
While published studies show mixed results, there is evidence that vitamin C may help:7
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Lower LDL cholesterol
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Slightly boost HDL
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Reduce triglycerides
While the impact appears modest, it does suggest that vitamin C can help decrease risk factors for heart disease.
How Much Vitamin C Per Day Do We Need?
The primary aspect of vitamin C is that we most likely need to be consuming it regularly. Our bodies commonly do not store it or make it, so vitamin C may need to be a part of our daily diet.
Thankfully, a true vitamin C deficiency is quite rare. Its relatively easy to get vitamin C from common fruits and vegetables and over the counter supplements are easy to find.
The recommended daily intake (RDA) for vitamin C is set at 75 mg per day for women and 90 mg per for men.
While most Americans seem to be meeting the RDA, studies are suggesting that higher amounts may be helpful. In fact, many of the studies looking at vitamin C benefits used doses ranging from 200 mg to 1,000 mg or more per day, mostly from supplements.
It’s a good thing that overdosing on vitamin C is rare since the body can typically flush the extra out, however side effects are still possible. The tolerable upper intake level is set at 2,000 mg per day, at which an unpleasant gastrointestinal issue such as diarrhea may occur.
Final Thoughts
We all are aware that vitamin C may be an incredibly important nutrient, especially for our immune system, but studies show that it may play a vital role in heart health as well.
From helping to reduce inflammation, protect blood vessels, and manage blood pressure as well as cholesterol levels, vitamin C has a lot to offer.
If you think that you may have a vitamin C deficiency, consider increasing colorful fruits and veggies in your diet. If a supplement may be more appropriate, discuss the option with your doctor before taking it, to make sure that it’s safe and appropriate.
And while vitamin C is clearly thought to be important, it’s always good to remember that no single nutrient is a cure-all for heart health. Don’t forget other heart-healthy habits such as regular exercise, reducing stress, quitting smoking, and a balanced diet.
Foods that are high in vitamin C along with other healthy diet and lifestyle habits are often the means to reducing your heart disease risk factors and finding the path to optimal heart health.
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