Vitamin C May Reduce Stroke Risk

Eating foods high in vitamin C may reduce the risk of stroke, the results of a small prospective case-control study have found.

A team of French investigators compared plasma vitamin C concentrations in 65 adults who experienced an acute intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke with 65 adults who did not suffer a stroke. Of the 130 total participants, 41% had normal vitamin C status, 45% had plasma vitamin C depletion (< 38 μmol/L), and 14% had plasma vitamin C deficiency (<11 μmol/L).
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On average, the participants who experienced a stroke had depleted vitamin C levels, whereas participants who did not have a stroke had normal vitamin C levels. Vitamin C depletion was not associated with acute or 3-month mortality, however, it was associated with longer hospitalization (P=.026).

Additionally, the investigators found that high blood pressure, consumption of alcohol, and being overweight were strong risk factors for deep intracerebral hemorrhage (P=.008; P=.023; P=.038, respectively). Hemorrhagic stroke is less common but more deadly than ischemic stroke.

Previous studies have shown vitamin C to have some protective effect against cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, however, the physiopathological mechanism of vitamin C is not entirely understood, and there is no conclusive evidence that dietary vitamin C or taking vitamin C supplements directly prevent these diseases or events, such as myocardial infarction or stroke.

“More research is needed to explore specifically how vitamin C may help to reduce stroke risk,” said study author Stéphane Vannier, MD, Pontchaillou University Hospital, Rennes, France, in a press release. “For example, the vitamin may regulate blood pressure.”

Dietary sources of vitamin C are preferred over supplementation. Some foods that are naturally high in vitamin C include citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruit, cantaloupe, berries, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and leafy greens, among many others. As vitamin C is sensitive to light and heat, its nutritional content may be lost during cooking, so many dietitians advise consuming these fruits and vegetables raw to reap their full benefit. 

The full results of this study will be presented at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Philadelphia, PA, April 26-May 3, 2014.

- Allison Musante, ELS