For starters, you do 'not' have to be sixty-five to benefit from Vitamin
C. Let me just say that right now. Vitamin C is arguably the most important vitamin
discovery in the past 100 years. However, for those of you over 65, this new study
reports a drop in blood pressure of 16-18 points with a mere 600 mg per day of C.
For comparisons sake - I take over 10 times that amount daily.
Nagoya City Hospital in Japan reported that 600 mg (milligrams) of supplemental
vitamin C per day - an amount that cannot be achieved via food - decreased
blood pressure by 16-18 points in men and women over 65 (the actual age range of
participants was 67-83). The real boon was that these patients did not respond to
traditional drug therapy for hypertension. There was no change in younger patients
from a blood pressure perspective.
Systolic readings (the top number of your blood pressure) were 154 for those without
vitamin C, and 134 for those on 600 mg per day. The lower number (diastolic) went
from 79 (no C) to 63 (supplemental C).
I have taken about 8,000 mg of vitamin C for many years with nothing but positive
results. However, those results never included a drop in blood pressure -
and this study confirms that. However, the benefits to C go far beyond blood pressure
for those of us who are younger. C has been shown to have amazing health benefits,
helping conditions ranging from gallstones to aneurysms.
Be sure to check with your doctor, especially if you are over 65 and currently taking
medication for blood pressure. Never stop taking medication without a doctor's
consent.