By David Liu, Ph.D.

Friday NOv 25, 2011 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking vitamin C supplements or eating a few servings of vitamin c rich fruits and or vegetables each day may help heart failure to reduce risk of death, a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011 suggests.

The study led Eun Kyeung Song, Ph.D. and colleagues from the University of Ulsan in Korea shows that heart failure patients who had low intake of vitamin C had higher levels of high sensitivity c-Reactive protein hsCRP, a compound that is associated with inflammation and increased risk for heart disease.  

The researchers also found heart failure patients who had a low intake of vitamin c were 2.4 times more likely to have higher levels of hsCRP and those with low intake of vitamin C and hsCRP over 3 mg/L were about twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease during the first year of follow-up.

The study involved 212 patients aged 61 with 45 percent of them having moderate to severe heart failure.

Heart failure is a serious condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body, according to The National Institutes of Health. The condition can be caused by coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.  

About five million Americans suffer heart failure and the condition causes 300,000 deaths each year.

The Institute of Medicine recommends a dietary allowance of 90 mg/day of vitamin C for adult men and 75 mg/day for adult women.

Dr. Linus Pauling, a Nobel Prize winner, recommended that elderly people should use high doses of vitamin C.  He said vitamin C at high doses like a few grams per day rarely causes any side effects.

Some individuals and organizations suggest high doses of vitamin C or vitamin C overdose may cause kidney stones.  Dr. Pauling said such a risk is theoretically possible, but cases of kidney stones have never been associated with use of vitamin C. 

Vitamin C also called ascorbate or ascorbic acid provides a wide range of health benefits. It may be used to prevent or treat diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, common cold, stroke, gout, lead poisoning, infections, and high blood pressure. A vitamin C degradation product called dehydroascorbic acid may also offer similar benefits. 

Vitamin C rich foods include orange, grapefruit, strawberries, tomatoes, sweet red pepper and broccoli.  

People who eat fruits and vegetables often would rarely suffer vitamin C deficiency, which results in a condition called scurvy.  But Dr. Pauling suggested people need high doses of this vitamin to prevent diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.

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