25th SEA GAMES, Vientiane, Laos 2009

Ascorbic Acid plays a role in protecting against the following:

Heart Disease
Results of scientific studies on whether Ascorbic Acid is helpful for preventing heart attack or stroke are mixed. Ascorbic Acid doesn’t lower cholesterol levels or reduce the overall risk of heart attack, but evidence suggests that it may help protect arteries against damage.

Some studies — though not all — suggest that Ascorbic Acid, acting as an antioxidant, can slow down the progression of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It helps prevent damage to LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which then builds up as plaque in the arteries and can cause heart attack or stroke. Other studies suggest that Ascorbic Acid may help keep arteries flexible.

In addition, people who have low levels of Ascorbic Acid may be more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease, all potential results of having atherosclerosis. Peripheral artery disease is the term used to describe atherosclerosis of the blood vessels to the legs. This can lead to pain when walking, known as intermittent claudication. But there is no evidence that taking Ascorbic Acid supplements will help.

The best thing to do is get enough Ascorbic Acid through your diet. That way, you also get the benefit of other antioxidants and nutrients contained in food. If you have low levels of Ascorbic Acid and have trouble getting enough through the foods you eat, ask your doctor about taking a supplement.

High Blood Pressure
Population based studies (which involve observing large groups of people over time) suggest that people who eat foods rich in antioxidants, including Ascorbic Acid, have a lower risk of high blood pressure than people who have poorer diets. Eating foods rich in Ascorbic Acid is important for your overall health, especially if you are at risk for high blood pressure. The diet physicians most frequently recommend for treatment and prevention of high blood pressure, known as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, includes lots of fruits and vegetables, which are loaded with antioxidants.

Common Cold
Despite the popular belief that vitamin C can cure the common cold, the scientific evidence doesn’t support the notion. Taking Ascorbic Acid supplements regularly (not just at the beginning of a cold) produces only a small reduction in the duration of a cold (about 1 day). The only other piece of evidence supporting Ascorbic Acid for preventing colds comes from studies examining people exercising in extreme environments (athletes such as skiers and marathon runners, and soldiers in the Arctic). In these studies, Ascorbic Acid did seem to reduce the risk of getting a cold.

Cancer
Results of many population based studies (evaluating groups of people over time) suggest that eating foods rich in Ascorbic Acid may be associated with lower rates of cancer, including skin cancer, cervical dysplasia (changes to the cervix which may be cancerous or precancerous, picked up by pap smear), and, possibly, breast cancer. But these foods also contain many beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, not only Ascorbic Acid, so it’s impossible to say for certain that Ascorbic Acid is protecting against cancer. Taking Ascorbic Acid supplements, on the other hand, has not been shown to have any helpful effect.

In addition, there is no evidence that taking large doses of Ascorbic Acid once diagnosed with cancer will help your treatment. Moreover, some doctors are concerned that large doses of antioxidants from supplements could interfere with chemotherapy medications. More research is needed. If you are undergoing chemotherapy, talk to your doctor before taking Ascorbic Acid or any supplement.

Osteoarthritis
 Ascorbic Acid is essential for the body to make collagen, which is a part of normal cartilage. Cartilage is destroyed in osteoarthritis (OA), putting pressure on bones and joints. In addition, some researchers think free radicals — molecules produced by the body that can damage cells and DNA — may also be involved in the destruction of cartilage. Antioxidants such as Ascorbic Acid powder appear to limit the damage caused by free radicals. However, that said, no evidence suggests that taking Ascorbic Acid supplements will help treat or prevent OA. What the evidence does show is that people who eat diets rich in Ascorbic Acid are less likely to be diagnosed with arthritis.

Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can lower your levels of Ascorbic Acid . If you take these drugs regularly for OA, you might want to take a Ascorbic Acid supplement.

Age-related Macular Degeneration
Ascorbic Acid (500 mg) appears to work with other antioxidants, including zinc (80 mg), beta-carotene (15 mg), and vitamin E (400 IU) to protect the eyes against developing macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of legal blindness in people over 55 in the United States. The people who seem to benefit are those with advanced AMD. It isn’t known whether this combination of nutrients helps prevent AMD or is beneficial for people with less advanced AMD. This combination includes a high dose of zinc, which should be taken only under a doctor’ s supervision.

Pre-eclampsia
Some studies suggest that taking Ascorbic Acid along with vitamin E may help prevent pre-eclampsia in women who are at high risk. Pre-eclampsia, characterized by high blood pressure and too much protein in the urine, is a common cause of premature births. Not all studies agree, however.

Asthma
Studies are mixed when it comes to the effect of Ascorbic Acid(food additives) on asthma. Some show that low levels of Ascorbic Acid are more common in people with asthma, leading some researchers to think that low levels of Ascorbic Acid might increase the risk for this condition. Other studies seem to show that Ascorbic Acid may help reduce symptoms of exercise-induced asthma.