Lower Blood Pressure Naturally With Vitamin C Supplementation
Long before the discovery of vitamin C took place, humans understood the importance of eating citrus fruits (which are high in vitamin C). Unlike most creatures, humans are not able to produce the vitamin C their bodies need. Therefore, we are dependent on this crucial vitamin to maintain our health.
Naval physicians were the first to come to this conclusion, as they realized that fresh fruits and vegetables were necessary to prevent scurvy. But this natural cure for many diseases also has an important application in helping us to reduce and manage high blood pressure.
There have been several studies, published recently, to study the effects of vitamin C on blood pressure. Let’s look at some of them.
Studies Show Vitamin C Lowers Blood Pressure
According to Science Daily, a study done at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health discovered that 500 mg of vitamin C daily can naturally reduce high blood pressure significantly, without any side effects.
Scientists studied 45 patients of different age, sex, race, and smoker status, who all had high blood pressure. A long-term dose of 500 mg vitamin C, measured one month after the study began, showed a drop in systolic blood pressure from 155 to 142 (average) and diastolic pressure from 87 to 79 (average).
Another study by Tufts University found that people deficient in vitamin C (less than US RDA) had a systolic blood pressure 11 points higher and diastolic blood pressure 6 points higher than those who consumed more vitamin C.
According to Elaine B. Feldman (Medical College of Georgia), people with high blood levels of vitamin C have naturally lower blood pressure. She also found that 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily lowered blood pressure, without any side effects, about 4 percent. Her conclusion: vitamin C has a unique pharmacological activity and ability to lower blood pressure.
Method of Action
Although researchers are not positive how vitamin C lowers blood pressure naturally, there is one theory that most agree with. That theory says that vitamin C works in conjunction with the nitric oxide normally found in our bodies. Nitric oxide is responsible for relaxing arterial smooth muscle. By increasing the effectiveness of nitric oxide with vitamin C, one can lower their blood pressure naturally, using their bodies’ natural systems.
Aside from dozens of positive effects on the body, vitamin C is shown, positively, to be of benefit for lowering blood pressure naturally. When used in therapeutic doses, along with lifestyle changes such as exercise, a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and a reduction in daily stress, vitamin C can be used to complement your blood pressure management, without the side effects associated with current medications. Vitamin C is just one of the ingredients found in natural herbal supplements to support health blood pressure.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/606852
