Is Vitamin C Good For The Heart?

Several conditions can affect your heart health, including cardiovascular disease, heart defects, arrhythmia and cardiomyopathy. Risk factors for heart disease include high cholesterol, family history, smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise and being overweight. Vitamin C may help you lower your cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. However, more studies are needed on the effects of vitamin C and heart health. You should always talk to your doctor before changing your vitamin C intake.

Cholesterol

High cholesterol is one of the risk factors for heart disease. There are two types of cholesterol that affect your heart health. Low-density lipoprotein, or "bad" cholesterol, is associated with atherosclerosis and heart disease. High-density lipoprotein, or "good" cholesterol, naturally helps lower the levels of LDL cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease. In other words, high levels of LDL are bad for your heart, while high levels of HDL are good for your heart.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin and an antioxidant. It is important for healthy skin, bones and teeth. It may also play a role in lowering your LDL and raising your HDL cholesterol. A study published in "Journal of Chiropractic Medicine" found that a daily vitamin C intake of 500 mg reduced blood LDL cholesterol levels. In addition, a study published in "Annals of Epidemiology" found that vitamin C supplementation increased blood HDL levels when taken at 1,000 mg per day.

Recommended Intake

Recommended intake of vitamin C for adults is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. However, positive effects of vitamin C on blood cholesterol levels were found with considerably higher intake levels than the recommended values. Intake varied from 500 to 1,000 mg per day. Although it might be safe to take vitamin C up to 3,000 mg per day, adults should not consume more than 2,000 mg per day, according to MedlinePlus.

Food Sources

Vitamin C is naturally present in many foods, including red and green peppers, oranges, grapefruit, broccoli, kiwifruit, strawberries and tomatoes. You can also get vitamin C from foods that have been fortified, including many cereals.

Warnings

Overconsumption of vitamin C may cause stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea and increased occurrence of kidney stones, according to Colorado State University Extension. Vitamin C is soluble in water and thus it can be easily lost during cooking. Eat vegetables raw or quickly steam them to preserve the vitamin.