To Your Health
October, 2008 (Vol. 02, Issue 10) |
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Vitamin C May Reduce Stroke Risk
By Editorial Staff
You may have heard the slang term
Limey to refer to someone of British origin. The word comes from the old practice of British sailors eating limes in order to prevent scurvy, a debilitating disease affecting the joints and bones. Scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency.
While scurvy is not as common now as it was back in the days of the old British Royal Navy, research suggests vitamin C deficiency can lead to a number of other health problems. A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that reduced levels of vitamin C in the body can dramatically increase the risk for stroke.
A group of British researchers (fancy that) examined the health records for 20,649 men and women between the ages of 40 and 79 to determine the effect of increased vitamin C intake on their risk for stroke. From 1993 to 1997, there were a total of 448 strokes among all the subjects. However, those with the highest vitamin C intake had an astonishing 42 percent lower risk of stroke than those with the lowest intake levels.
The researchers stated, "Plasma vitamin C concentrations may serve as a biological marker of lifestyle or other factors associated with reduced stroke risk and may be useful in identifying those at high risk of stroke."
In other words: the higher your vitamin C intake, the lower your chance of having a stroke. Sure, eating lime after lime may be a bit extreme for most, so go ahead and load up on other citrus fruits such as oranges or grapefruits. After all, it could save your life.
