Dr. Mercola January 24 2009 117,384 views
A study has linked high blood levels of vitamin C with lower blood pressure in young women.
The study involved almost 250 women. They entered the trial when they were 8 to 11 years old, and over a 10-year period, their plasma levels of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and blood pressure were monitored. Both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings, were found to be inversely associated with ascorbic acid levels.
Previous research had already linked high plasma levels of vitamin C with lower blood pressure among middle-age and older adults.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension) is a serious health concern that can cause heart disease and increase your risk of having a stroke. It is especially dangerous because hypertension often has no warning signs or symptoms. Amazingly, the risk of becoming hypertensive is greater than 90 percent for individuals in developed countries, according to research published in the Lancet two years ago.
But the really great news is that over 85 percent of those who have hypertension can normalize their blood pressure through lifestyle modifications, whereas statistics show over half of people taking multiple medications for high blood pressure are still not able to manage their condition.
So if you have hypertension, or hope to avoid it, know that there are simple steps you can take to balance your blood pressure without harmful and/or ineffective medications!
Vitamin C and Your Blood Pressure
Several studies have examined the impact of vitamin C on blood pressure. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which helps neutralize cell-damaging free radicals. Research has shown that antioxidants can help to reduce high blood pressure, possibly by protecting your body's supply of nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessels.
The current study, published in the Nutrition Journal, found that both the systolic and diastolic (top and bottom) readings were inversely associated with ascorbic acid levels.
Specifically, women with the highest levels of ascorbic acid had a decline of about 4.6 mm Hg in systolic and just over 6 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure, compared with women with the lowest ascorbic acid levels.
Previous research has also confirmed that adding vitamin C to your diet can help to reverse the degenerative process caused by free radicals, resulting in lower blood pressure levels.
Interestingly, vitamin C can also give extra oomph to other antioxidants, such as catechins, which are naturally occurring antioxidants found in green tea.
Green tea has been linked to heart- and cardiovascular health as it improves both blood flow and the ability of your arteries to relax. One 2007 study discovered that complementing green tea with either citrus juices or vitamin C increases the amount of catechins available for your body to absorb.
The possibility of a natural agent being able to lower blood pressure and help prevent heart disease is certainly worth noting, especially when you consider the damage that many, if not most, drugs can do.
For example, beta-blockers -- a class of drugs frequently prescribed to manage high blood pressure and as cardioprotection after a heart attack -- have been found to cause type 2 diabetes by decreasing your insulin sensitivity. This, as you will see in the next section, is actually promoting the very problem you’re trying to solve.
Your best bet is to focus on getting a moderate amount of fruits and plenty of vegetables in your diet; the types and amounts being adjusted based on your nutritional type.
But if you decide to supplement with vitamin C, it is important to remember that it is a water-soluble vitamin and ideally should be taken at least three times a day. It is also best taken with bioflavanoids, which further enhance its benefits.
Please note that if you are highly sensitive to vitamin C, you may experience diarrhea. This is an indication that you need to lower your dosage.
That said, something else may have a far greater impact on your blood pressure than vitamin C and antioxidants, although they may help alleviate high blood pressure to a certain degree. It should be perfectly clear to everyone that these nutrients are not the cure for high blood pressure, but they can provide some protection while you address the main causes of your problem.
Insulin – A MAJOR Player in Regulating Blood Pressure
Groundbreaking research published in 1998 in the journal Diabetes reported that nearly two-thirds of the test subjects who were insulin resistant also had high blood pressure. This crucial connection between insulin resistance and hypertension is yet another example of how wide-ranging the debilitating effects of high insulin, leptin and blood glucose levels can have on your body.
Additionally, previous research has revealed that if your blood pressure doesn’t drop notably overnight, you run an increased risk of having cardiovascular problems. Here, the connection is also elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels as elevated blood sugars can result in diabetes and other diseases which increase cardiovascular problems.
Hence, if you have hypertension, chances are good that you also have poorly controlled blood sugar levels. The two problems often go hand in hand.
And if your hypertension is the direct result of an out-of-control blood sugar level, then normalizing your blood sugar levels will also bring your blood pressure readings into the healthy range.
How to Reduce Your Blood Pressure Without Dangerous Drugs
Typically, optimizing your diet -- which will normalize your insulin levels -- is the most effective route to return your blood pressure to normal levels.
Cardiovascular exercise and tools like the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which helps negate the effects of stress on your life, are also important.
Other recommendations that can help bring your blood pressure under control include:
In addition to vitamin C, other natural supplements that can help improve your blood pressure include:
my youngest grandaughter is an 11 year old who looks more like 16 or 17 - and is my height and my weight :(
When her family went to Kualar Lumpar on holidays many young men (and not so young) proposed.
I agree.At 29 years old my blood pressure was below normal.Now at 58 my blood pressure is at 145 over 89.My doctor wants me to get it down to 119 over 79.
I'm 18 which isn't much older than that, and I'm considered an adult. So no, I would not say they are children. Young adults, maybe.
Well, Since they took the study over 10 years, they would now be 18-21 year olds, which makes them young women. Its a longitudinal study. So they would have been more clear to say adolescent girls, I suppose. But then they cross-referenced an older adult study- so it is just extending the research to a broader age-range. AND, why would there be any problem with testing adolescent girls on Vitamin C and blood pressure? There is NO RISK. They were probably paid, and science gets bolstered....
With all respect, Elphaba, you are double their age... An 11 year old IS a child, legally and socially. An adult is one who is mature enough to support themselves and ready to "reproduce" and support someone else. 11 year olds cannot do that legally or socially, and most cannot do that physically either. Apologies for being so off topic. :)
I agree that there is very little risk with vitamin C, and science gets bolstered... so... study, study, study!
Which is why I didn't call them adults, I said MAYBE young adults. I'm sure they feel pretty mature, I did when I was that age. Anyways, sorry, I won't argue anymore. :)
It is sad indeed, to accept that our modern diet is so inadequate that blood pressure differences can be discerned at so young an age.
One expects that youth should override almost any dietary inadequacy - that those effects should not manifest until we have begun to approach the middle years.
Your concern is appreciated. The reality is becoming confusing as Heather has implied. My 10 year old granddaughter not only looks much older, breast and teen acne for example. I also learned that she has started to menstruate. When I discussed this with others I learned that this is no longer unusual. It seems the body is maturing faster. I for one thought the maturity I was seeing in 'children' was because of of TV, etc. I am now learning that at least some of it is biological.
To the Ameliorate, maybe these studies are going to be very important to younger people as they mature sooner. In addition, problems like diet induced diabetic children tell us that we are going to this knowledge. I want to believe that the parents' were involved in the decision to allow the children to participate. Personally, I am grateful to them for their decision.
I wish + I wish + I wish..
that people would who say this or that is better would put source links with their comments.
It would save a lot of hunting on the net .
Please if you have an excellent source for ie. NATURAL vitamin C and sing its praises-
Or anything else for that matter
LINK it!!!
So we may all find out more info, or ensure we get to the right place....
THANK YOU!
Source - Citrus
Link - Nature
You need to research "Camu Camu" a fruit from the Amazon and available in pill and liquid form. It is the highest Vitamin C content from a berry in the world. Even though this is a natural form of C, I don't take it because with C it doesn't matter much if it is natural or just plain ascorbic acid. I get my C from the product called Emergen-C. Last summer I had two mild strokes due to high blood pressure. My blood pressure had been high for the last 25 years. I am now cured without drugs. The answer is Chelation Therapy. My blood pressure is now normal. The cause of my high blood pressure was blocked arteries to the kidneys. It only took 3 sessions of chelation for the kidneys to start operating normally and once they did my blood pressure also returned to normal. And yes, I take high doses of Vitamin C, Vitamin E and D as well as many other supplements. One more comment, I met Dr. Mercola at the ACAM convention in Las Vegas last November. I even shook hands with him and asked a few questions about Vitamin D. ACAM stands for The American College for the Advancement of Medicine. It is the governing body of the Chelation Association.
themikeb: My source for the whole vitamin C complex is Standard Process. Their products can be bought from health care professionals who should be pretty knowledgeable about the supplements. Generally, those who sell these products have good ways of assessing the body's needs for various nutrients that will resolve many many issues.
I wish you well.
Ellen Thompson, D.C.
Premier Research Labs has an all natural, organic vitamin C. They are a great company out of Texas. Check them out!
themikeb,try drbenkim.com for REAL acerola cherry powder, the absolute best source of vit c in the world. this is a whole food vit c, the real deal.
For the poster who uses Emergen-C I just called the company and sure enough, they get their vitamin C ingrediants from freaking CHINA.
Well, no more Emergen-C for me - I am searching for a natural Vitamin C from any where but China - it would be nice if the USA started producing SOMETHING!!!!!!!
Solu-C Powder from Maximum Living
This includes bioflavanoids from citrus.
This is the best I have found formulated by a company with impeccable integrity. It is what I recommend to my clients.
Distributed by Maximum Living, Inc.
Soulsbyville, CA, 95372
Making healthy choices . com is a site for ordering. It is in powder form or crystals so it is easily used for all purposes.
My husband, aged 62, was diagnosed with high blood pressure. We figured out his triggers, altered his lifestyle, and now his blood pressure is in normal range. No drugs. He stays active, eats a healthy diet, and continues to take my advice ;~)
As my husband is far skinnier than I on his diet of some prepared meals plus a lot of junk (including sodas and sports drinks) he is not prepared to change a thing - you are so lucky to have one who does pay attention!
More Food For Thought
Most vitamins purchased here are made in China, who controls 80% - 90% of global manufacturing, so you have to look very hard to find vitamin C not made in China.
The Wall Street Journal, on Nov 25, in the article "China Defends Price Fixing by Vitamin Makers " reported on how 4 Chinese companies priced their vitamin C at around $3 / kgm, driving out the competition:
"The wholesale price of vitamin C rose from about $3 a kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, in 2001 to $8 or more in 2003; it has fluctuated since then, reaching as high as about $11 a kilogram last year."
The defense used by the Chinese companies is a form of the "devil made me do it defense".
WSJ:
"China's defense is based on the doctrine of sovereign immunity: If a government orders a company to take a specific action, it generally is considered an act of state that can't be prosecuted in foreign courts. In his Nov. 7 ruling, Judge Trager effectively rejected that stance, finding enough evidence to go to trial. No date has been set."
The quest for justice continues.
Just read an article by a Jameson vitamin company rep who states 95% of vit. C is sourced from China. On a recent visit to a plant that produces C, they found that the water filtration system was inoperable, yet the processing continued. As well, in the evenings fertilizer was being manufactured in the same facility.
I've made several attempts to contact Quest vitamins and find out where their C is sourced from but have gotten no reply. It tells me they've got something to hide. Better to eat a fruit or veggie to obtain your vitamins.