Vitamin C is the go-to nutrient for immune system support, but did you know that this vital nutrient can also help prevent heart disease? Coronary heart disease is a leading cause of premature death in the United States, and it turns out diet is a huge factor. Estimates have long shown that roughly half of all early deaths are preventable — and that poor diet is the top contributor to premature mortality. And now, scientists are saying that simply increasing vitamin C intake may be key to keeping heart disease at bay.

The reality is that an inexpensive vitamin supplement could reduce the rate of coronary heart disease but mainstream medicine is so deeply entrenched in pharmaceutical dogma, the idea that nutrients can prevent disease is downright blasphemous. Ironically, many professionals readily admit that poor diet is what is causing all of this death and disease.

Vitamin C for heart health

A study recently published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that higher vitamin C intake strongly correlates with a reduction in risk in coronary heart disease. The study featured 108 men, many of whom were smokers. Researchers grouped the men into three tiers, based on their vitamin C intake.

Men in the top tier of vitamin C consumption reduced their risk of heart disease by 66 percent — compared to those in the lowest third. As Natural Health 365 reports further:

Although the exact mechanism by which vitamin C provides such dramatic heart benefits is unknown, researchers think it has to do with the vitamin’s ability to prevent and alleviate endothelial dysfunction, the stiffening of arterial walls that can impede blood flow. Vitamin C seems particularly effective in reducing endothelial dysfunction – especially in smokers.

Research from the University of Cophenhagen has also shown that vitamin C intake influences heart disease risk. Utilizing data from 100,000 Danes, scientists found that high vitamin C concentrations in the blood were associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. But this benefit was specifically associated with people who had high blood levels of vitamin C from consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Camilla Kobylecki, a medical doctor and Ph.D. student at the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, commented on the study’s findings and stated, “We can see that those with the highest intake of fruit and vegetables have a 15 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 20 percent lower risk of early death compared with those who very rarely eat fruit and vegetables. At the same time, we can see that the reduced risk is related to high vitamin C concentrations in the blood from the fruit and vegetables.”

The group of researchers note that while vitamin C can be obtained from a supplement, getting nutrition from food is preferable for an array of reasons. Professor Boerge Nordestgaard contended, “You can get vitamin C supplements, but it is a good idea to get your vitamin C by eating a healthy diet, which will at the same time help you to develop a healthier lifestyle in the long term, for the general benefit of your health.”

Vitamin C offers a host of benefits to the body. It is an antioxidant nutrient, and is also used by the body to make connective tissues. Scientists suspect its antioxidant power is part of what makes it so cardio-protective. It has even been looked at for its ability to help balance hormones and prevent cancer.

Learn more about the healing power of good nutrition at Food.news.