Did you know that your blood pressure is linked to the amount of vitamin C you consume? A study published in the Nutrition Journal found that young women who take in the most vitamin C have the healthiest blood pressure stats.
The study followed 242 women between 18 and 21years old for a ten year period. At the conclusion of the study, researchers found that the blood pressure of women with the highest levels of vitamin C was an average of four points lower than women with the least amount of vitamin C. (Women’s Health, May 2008, p. 26)
Study co-author Gladys Block, PH.D., said that the vitamin C reduces inflammation in the body by decreasing the amount of C-reactive protein in the blood. The authors concluded that “vitamin C may be an important factor in BP regulation even among healthy young adults, and that further study is warranted.”
Remember that you can get vitamin C from a variety of fruits and vegetables. You’re not limited to oranges and citrus fruits…though they are wonderful! Some other excellent vitamin C sources are bell peppers, broccoli, strawberries, kiwi, kale, cantaloupes, and papaya.
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Nice find, yet another reason to get more vitamin C. I thought I’d point out that there are other studies that link high blood pressure to sleep apnea and considering 60% of sleep apnea sufferers are normal weight it wouldn’t hurt to do make sure you aren’t one of those sufferers that haven’t been diagnosed… especially if you have higher than normal blood pressure and generally good diet habits.