Vitamin C Reduces Stroke Risk

A low level of vitamin C in the blood ?in the presence of hypertension increases the risk of stroke,? according to Kurl Sudhir, a researcher at the University of Kuopio in Finland.

Sudhir and his team measured the levels of vitamin C in 2,419 men between the ages of 42 and 60 for a period of 10 years. Those with the lowest amount of vitamin C in their blood consumed the equivalent of that found in about half a glass of orange juice each day.Those with the highest level consumed the equivalent of about 2 full glasses of orange juice daily.

As reported in the June 2002 issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, those with the lowest level were 2.4 times more likely to have had a stroke than those with the highest level. Among the group with the lowest level, those who were overweight or had high blood pressure were nearly 3 times more likely to have had a stroke.