|
|
Article: Vitamin C may reduce hypertension risk.
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- May 12, 1990
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Vitamin C may reduce hypertension risk
High blood levels of vitamin C may help ward off hypertension in healthy people, two new scientific studies suggest. If confirmed, the finding will add to this vitamin's growing renown as a dietary factor that may offer protection against cardiovascular diseases.
Scientists know that vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, can disarm chemicals called free radicals that form when the body uses oxygen (SN: 8/26/89, p.133). Free radicals can damage healthy cells, including the endothelial cells that take part in artery constriction and relaxation. Some scientists speculate that such injury may lead to hypertension -- a condition ...