Vitamin C supplements help in lowering blood pressure.
Vitamin C supplements may be associated with lower blood pressure in adults. This conclusion was reached by researchers who analyzed the results of 17 randomized clinical trials combined in several meta-analyses. The work was published in the journal Food & Function (F&F).
The analysis showed that taking vitamin C can reduce systolic pressure by about 3.7 millimeters of mercury. Systolic pressure is the upper number when measuring blood pressure. It reflects the pressure of blood in the arteries at the moment when the heart contracts and pumps blood.
Diastolic pressure, on the other hand, is the lower number that indicates the pressure in the vessels when the heart relaxes between beats. On average, across all study participants, no significant reduction in this measure was found. However, in people with diabetes, diastolic pressure decreased by about 2.3 millimeters of mercury.
The authors note that such changes may be significant for cardiovascular health. Nevertheless, the scientists emphasize that the level of evidence remains limited, so larger and longer clinical studies are needed to confirm the effect of vitamin C.
