| VITAMIN C >> Ester-C
Ester-C is a water-soluble vitamin that has a number
of biological functions. One of Ester-C’s important functions is
to protect LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage.
What does it do? Vitamin C is a water-soluble
vitamin that has a number of biological functions. Acting as an
antioxidant, one of vitamin C’s important functions is to protect
LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage. (Only when LDL is damaged
does cholesterol appear to lead to heart disease, and vitamin C
may be one of the most important antioxidant protectors of LDL.)1
Vitamin C may also protect against heart disease by reducing the
stiffness of arteries and the tendency of platelets to clump together.2
The antioxidant properties of vitamin C are thought to protect
smokers, as well as people exposed to secondhand smoke, from the
harmful effects of free radicals. A controlled trial demonstrated
the ability of 3 grams of vitamin C, taken by non-smokers two hours
prior to being exposed to cigarette smoke, to reduce the free radical
damage and LDL cholesterol oxidation associated with exposure to
cigarette smoke.3 The smoke-induced decline in total
antioxidant defense was also diminished. These beneficial effects
were not observed in non-smokers under normal conditions (no free
radical exposure).
Vitamin C is needed to make collagen, the “glue” that strengthens
many parts of the body, such as muscles and blood vessels. Vitamin
C also plays important roles in wound healing and as a natural antihistamine.
This vitamin also aids in the formation of liver bile and helps
to fight viruses and to detoxify alcohol and other substances.
Recently, researchers have shown that vitamin C improves nitric
oxide activity.4 Nitric oxide is needed for the dilation
of blood vessels, potentially important in lowering blood pressure
and preventing spasms of arteries in the heart that might otherwise
lead to heart attacks. Vitamin C has reversed dysfunction of cells
lining blood vessels.5 The normalization of the functioning
of these cells may be linked to prevention of heart disease.
Evidence indicates that vitamin C levels in the eye decrease with
age6 and that supplementing with vitamin C prevents this
decrease,7 possibly leading to a lower risk of developing
cataracts.8 9 Healthy people have been reported
in some, but not all, studies10 to be more likely to
take vitamin C and vitamin E supplements than are people with cataracts.11
Vitamin C has been reported to reduce activity of the enzyme,
aldose reductase, in people.12 Aldose reductase is the
enzyme responsible for accumulation of sorbitol in eyes, nerves,
and kidneys of people with diabetes. This accumulation is believed
to be responsible for deterioration of these parts of the body associated
with diabetes. Therefore, interference with the activity of aldose
reductase theoretically helps protect people with diabetes.
Vitamin C may help protect the body against accumulation or retention
of the toxic mineral, lead. In one preliminary study, people with
higher blood levels of vitamin C had much lower risk of having excessive
blood levels of lead.13 In a controlled trial, male smokers
with moderate to high levels of lead received supplements of 1,000
mg per day of vitamin C, 200 mg per day of vitamin C, or a placebo.14
Only those people taking 1,000 mg per day of vitamin C experienced
a drop in the blood lead levels, but the reduction in this group
was dramatic.
People with recurrent boils (furunculosis) may have defects in white
blood cell function that are correctable with vitamin C supplementation.
A preliminary study of people with recurrent boils and defective
white blood cell function, found that 1 gram of vitamin C taken
daily for four to six weeks, resulted in normalization of white
blood cell function.15 Ten of twelve people receiving
vitamin C became symptom-free within one month and remained so for
periods of one to three years without additional supplementation.
The other two people required long-term vitamin C supplementation
to prevent recurrences.
A double-blind trial found that 500 mg of vitamin C per day for
one year reduced the risk of developing reflex sympathetic dystrophy
(a painful nerve condition of the extremities), after a wrist fracture.16
In a small, preliminary trial, vitamin C (500 mg twice daily) combined
with rutoside (500 mg twice daily), a derivative of the flavonoid,
rutin, produced marked improvement in three women with progressive
pigmented purpura (PPP), a mild skin condition.17 Although
not a serious medical condition, cosmetic concerns lead people with
PPP to seek treatment with a variety of drugs. The vitamin C/rutoside
combination represents a promising, non-toxic alternative to these
drug treatments, but larger, controlled trials are needed to confirm
these preliminary results.
Where is it found? Broccoli, red peppers, currants,
Brussels sprouts, parsley, potatoes, citrus fruit, and strawberries
are good sources of vitamin C.
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