Vitamin C

Overall Health Benefits

• Lowers risk of heart disease [1-17]
• Prevents and treats common cold [18-20]
• Lowers blood pressure [21-24]
• Helps lose weight [25-33]
• Accelerates wound healing [34-35]
• Prevents wrinkles and other signs of skin aging [36-40]
• Boosts brain power [41-43]
• Prevents age-related blindness [44-47]
• Prevents cancer [48-52]

Proven Health Benefits

Lowers Risk of Heart Disease

An overwhelming body of clinical evidence shows that vitamin C is essential for heart health:

1. In Spanish graduates, higher vitamin C intake was associated with a lower risk of heart disease. [1]
2. In female nurses, supplementation with vitamin C lowered the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). [2]
3. In subjects who were free of CHD, high supplemental vitamin C intakes reduced the risk of CHD. [3]
4. Several studies found that vitamin C deficiency was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. [4-7]
5. A number of high quality studies found that vitamin C can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by preventing plaque formation in the heart (atherosclerosis). [8-12]
6. Studies also show that higher vitamin C intake was associated with a lower risk of death due to heart disease. [13-15]
7. In smokers, supplementation with vitamin C prevented the development of heart disease. [16-17]

Prevents and Treats Common Cold

Evidence suggests that the immune-boosting properties of vitamin C can help protect against common cold:

1. In patients with common cold, daily supplementation with vitamin C reduced the symptoms. [18]
2. In a test population, vitamin C relieved and prevented cold and flu symptoms. [19]
3. In a randomized controlled trial, vitamin C supplementation significantly reduced the frequency of common cold. [20]

Lowers Blood Pressure

Vitamin has also been shown to lower high blood pressure:

1. In hypertensive patients, vitamin C supplementation produced modest effects on reducing systolic blood and diastolic blood pressure.[21]
2. In older people, higher vitamin C blood levels were associated with a lower blood pressure. [22]
3. In young women, higher vitamin C levels at a young age were associated with a lower blood pressure. [23]
4. In patients with hypertension, vitamin C supplementation together with standard therapy lowered blood pressure. [24]

Helps Lose Weight

Studies show that vitamin C can also help promote fat loss:

1. A study found that vitamin C-depleted individuals were more resistant to fat mass loss. [25]
2. A study reported that vitamin C can help prevent obesity by increasing feelings of satiety. [26]
3. Higher vitamin C intake has been shown to reduce body mass index and waist circumference. [27]
4. In obese adults adhering to a calorie-reduced diet, higher vitamin C reduced body weight by improving exercise capacity. [28]
5. In obese women, higher vitamin C intake was associated with increased weight reduction. [29]
6. In obese women, administration of vitamin C reduced fat mass, percentage body fat, body circumference, and skinfold thickness. [30]
7. In young adults, it was found that low vitamin C status was associated with reduced fat loss. [31]
8. In obese mice, the result showed that vitamin C supplementation prevented weight gain. [32]
9. In rodents, vitamin C reduced body fat mass by affecting genes associated with obesity. [33]

Accelerates Wound Healing

Vitamin C has also been shown to play an integral role in wound healing:

1. In wounded test mice, vitamin C supplementation improved wound healing by reducing inflammation. [34]
2. A study found that combined supplementation of vitamin C with other energy-rich nutritional supplements resulted in faster wound healing. [35]

Prevents Wrinkles and other Signs of Skin Aging

Studies show that the antioxidant properties of vitamin C have anti-aging effects on the skin:

1. Vitamin C has been shown to protect the skin against sun damage and hyperpigmentation. [36]
2. In healthy females, skin application of vitamin C increased collagen synthesis. [37]
3. In adult female volunteers, facial application of vitamin C improved skin color, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, and wrinkle appearance. [38]
4. In patients with sun-damaged skin, topical application of vitamin C for 12 weeks reduced signs of skin damage. [39]
5. In adult women, higher vitamin C intake was associated with a reduced appearance of wrinkles. [40]

Boosts Brain Power

Evidence suggests that vitamin C can help prevent cognitive decline associated with ageing and brain disorders:

1. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mouse model, higher administration of  vitamin C prevented the development of AD-like conditions. [41]
2. A study showed that vitamin C protected against oxidant stress and played an important role in the normal functioning of nerve cells in the brain. [42]
3. A study also showed that vitamin C supplementation can help protect brain cells against various types of injury. [43]

Prevents Age-Related Blindness

Studies suggest that vitamin C is also essential for maintaining optimum eye function:

1. A study showed that vitamin C supplementation prevented the development of cataract. [44]
2. A study reported that vitamin C can help prevent eye degeneration through its antioxidant effects. [45]
3. High levels of vitamin C have been shown to reduce the risk of cataract. [46-47]

Prevents Cancer

Studies show that the anti-oxidant properties of vitamin C can help combat various types of cancer:

1. An analysis of several studies suggested that dietary and supplementary intake of vitamin C can reduce the risk of breast cancer. [48]
2. A study reported that administration of vitamin C together with chemotherapeutic drugs can effectively kill tumor cells. [49]
3. A study also found that  increased vitamin C reduced the risk of lung cancer. [50]
4. A study showed that vitamin C exerts its anti-cancer effects through its antioxidant activities. [51]
5. Increased vitamin C intake has also been shown to reduce the risk of esophageal cancer. [52]

References:

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