Monday, January 07, 2008

Vitamin C linked to lower stroke risk

Increased blood levels of vitamin C may reduce the risk of stroke by 42 per cent, suggests a large European-based study performed on 20,649 men and women taking part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer.

The authors, led by Phyo Myint from the University of Cambridge, state in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that blood levels of the vitamin could be used as a biological marker of lifestyle used to identify people at high risk of stroke.

The highest average blood levels of vitamin C (greater than 66 micromoles per litre) were associated with a 42 per cent lower risk of stroke, compared to the lowest average blood levels (less than 41 micromoles per litre), after adjusting the results for potentially confounding factors such as age, sex, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, BMI, physical activity, and use of supplements.

Steve - this is another well constructed, prevention-focused study from a very large population base spanning many years.

No comments: