You may be familiar with vitamin C as an essential water-soluble nutrient that is important for absorbing iron and boosting your immune system. This vitamin is also a potent antioxidant that is needed for the growth and repair of tissues that form your organs, blood vessels, muscles and skin. It also helps the body produce and maintain collagen, an important protein that gives your skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels elasticity and tensile strength. A study published in "Circulation" in 2002 found that vitamin C can help to maintain blood vessel health and reduce plaque or fat buildup in the arteries, preventing heart disease and stroke. Plaque buildup in the arteries is a sign of potentially serious disease; consult your doctor about a comprehensive treatment plan.
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis occurs when the arteries anywhere in your body become hardened and narrowed due to fat deposits called plaques on the inner walls. The University of Maryland Medical Center explains that plaques are composed of fat, calcium, cholesterol and other substances that build up in the arteries. This can cause inflammation, stiffening and a loss of flexibility and strength in the blood vessels, leading to blocked or decreased blood flow. Soft plaque can also break free from the artery wall and form a blood clot that can move to other areas of the body.
Cardiovascular Disease
The health effects of plaques depend on which arteries in your body are narrowed and clogged. MayoClinic.com notes that carotid artery disease occurs when the arteries carrying vital oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to your brain through the neck become diseased. This can lead to a transient ischemic attack, or TIA, and a stroke. If the arteries that feed the heart its life-giving blood are affected, you may suffer from coronary artery disease, leading to chest pain, difficulty breathing and a heart attack. Peripheral artery disease affects the arteries of your arms and legs, hindering blood flow to these areas of your body.
Vitamin C
The University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC, lists vitamin C has an antioxidant nutrient that helps to reduce the damage caused by normal body processes such as food metabolism. This vitamin is involved with several body functions, including healing wounds; repairing the skin, organs, ligaments, tendons and blood vessels; and boosting the immune system. Low levels of vitamin C have been linked to several conditions, including hypertension or high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, gallbladder disease and low iron absorption in the body. Hence, it is important to get adequate amounts of vitamin C from your diet with foods such as fruit and vegetables. However, the UMMC stresses that there is not yet enough evidence that taking vitamin C supplements will help to treat or prevent any of these conditions.
Vitamin C and Plaque
The effect of vitamin C on plaque in the blood vessels is linked to its effect on the formation of the elastic tissue collagen in the walls of the arteries. A study published in 2002 by the American Heart Association in the journal "Circulation" mentions that mature collagen contains important amino acids called hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine that are formed in a vitamin-C-dependent process. Vitamin C also inhibits the activation of a gene that causes inflammation. The study therefore notes that there is a theoretical rationale for using vitamin C in patients at risk of atherosclerosis, in addition to other medications and treatment.
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