Study: Vitamin C and Blood Pressure 45148

Vitamin C is inversely associated with blood pressure according to a study published in Nutrition Journal (2009;7:35). Participants were 242 black and white women aged 18 to 21 years from the Richmond, Calif., cohort of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study.

In cross-sectional analysis, plasma ascorbic acid at year 10 was inversely associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure after adjusting for race, body mass index (BMI), education and dietary intake of fat and sodium. Persons in the highest one-fourth of the plasma ascorbic acid distribution had 4.66 mmHg lower systolic blood pressure (P=0.005) and 6.04 mmHg lower diastolic blood pressure (P=0.0002) than those in the lowest one-fourth of the distribution. In analysis of the change in blood pressure, plasma ascorbic acid was also inversely associated with change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure during the previous year. While diastolic blood pressure among persons in the lowest quartile of plasma ascorbic acid increased by 5.97 mmHg from year nine to year 10, those in the highest quartile of plasma vitamin C increased by only 0.23 mmHg. A similar effect was seen for change in systolic blood pressure.

Researchers concluded, since lower blood pressure in young adulthood may lead to lower blood pressure and decreased incidence of age-associated vascular events in older adults, further investigation of treatment effects of vitamin C on blood pressure regulation in young adults is warranted.