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HERBAL CONNECTION HEALTH NEWS
Vitamin C supplement to beat Diabetes and Heart Disease
Vitamin C appears to reduce levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation and possibly a better predictor of heart disease than cholesterol levels, shows research for the first time. The findings could provide tools to beat heart disease and diabetes, and with it new opportunities for the food industry, writes Lindsey Partos.
Researchers at the University of California say that participants who took about 500 milligrams of Vitamin C supplements per day saw a 24 per cent drop in plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels after two months. Recent research suggests that CRP may be a better predictor of heart disease than cholesterol levels.
C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation, and there is a growing body of evidence that chronic inflammation is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and even Alzheimer's disease, said Gladys Block, UC Berkeley professor of epidemiology and public health nutrition and lead author of the study.
If our finding of Vitamin C's ability to lower CRP is confirmed through other trials, Vitamin C could become an important public health intervention, she added.
The study, published in the April issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (vol 23, no 2, 141-147), is the first to show that Vitamin C can decrease levels of CRP, a biomarker that has garnered increasing attention among health researchers in recent years.
Inflammation occurs as part of the body's defence against infection or injury. The body triggers the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6, that then triggers the production of CRP by the liver.
CRP levels can go up 100-fold within a short period of time as a reaction to an infection, but they then drop back down rapidly after the acute infection passes, said Christopher Jensen, a research scientist in Block's lab
It's not clear how Vitamin C was able to lower CRP levels for people in this study, he added.
The scientists theorise that Vitamin C may suppress the production of cytokines, but they assert that this hypothesis needs to be investigated through future studies.
They say that long-term adverse health effects occur when inflammation persists at low levels. This chronic inflammation, with persistent low levels of CRP, has been found among smokers and type 2 diabetics, as well as among overweight or obese persons. Scientists have only recently begun to understand such chronic inflammation as an important factor in disease.
Several large studies have suggested that CRP may be a better predictor of heart disease than cholesterol levels, although this has been questioned, said Marion Dietrich, a UC Berkeley researcher in nutritional epidemiology and another co-author of the study.
CRP is widely recognised as an important biomarker for inflammation. Elevated CRP concentrations have been found in obese people, indicating that obesity is associated with chronic inflammation. The association may help explain why overweight people are at increased risk for chronic disease development such as diabetes, heart disease or certain types of cancer.
For the study, researchers tested 160 healthy adults from Berkeley and Oakland in California who either smoked or were exposed to second-hand smoke. The researchers adjusted for body mass index and baseline CRP concentrations. People who had high levels of CRP to start with, likely due to existing illness, were excluded from the study.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive a daily dose of a placebo, a Vitamin C supplement of about 500 milligrams, or a mixture of antioxidants made up of Vitamin C, vitamin E and alpha-lipoic acid. Neither the researchers nor the participants knew which group a subject belonged to in the double-blind study.
Plasma CRP levels were measured from blood samples before and after the two-month trial. Levels of CRP decreased significantly, by 24 per cent, among participants who had taken the Vitamin C pills when compared to those in the placebo group. For those taking the antioxidant mixture, levels of CRP decreased 4.7 per cent compared to the placebo group, but the change was not statistically significant.
The researchers noted that in other studies, higher doses of vitamin E produced lower CRP levels among type 2 diabetics and healthy individuals.
We were surprised to find no statistical change in CRP levels among people taking the antioxidant mixture, while those taking the Vitamin C supplement saw a significant 24 per cent drop, said Block. However, the only other study to administer Vitamin C and Vitamin E together also did not show an effect on CRP.
It is possible that there is some interaction among the antioxidants that rendered the mixture less effective in reducing CRP levels, but that is not clear at this time, said Block.
Block has been awarded a grant to conduct another randomised trial of Vitamin C and CRP levels in order to confirm the findings.
There is a growing percentage of Americans who skip breakfast. Some believe that skipping breakfast will help them lose weight, but this is far from the truth. In fact, eating breakfast every day may help to reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes, in turn helping to decrease the risk of heart disease.
The brain and central nervous system run on glucose. When people skip breakfast, they're depriviing themselves of glucose, which means the body has to work harder to break down stored carbohydrates, fats and proteins. This may lower concentration levels, problem-solving abilities, mental performance, memory and mood. Breakfast skippers also deprive themselves of nutrients found in many breakfast foods, such as vitamins C and D, Calcium, iron and fiber.
When people skip breakfast, they also lose sensitivity to insulin - the key blood-sugar regulating hormone - and heighten their risk for type 2 diabetes. Obesity and rates of insulin resestance syndrome - a pre-diabetic disorder - are up to 50 percent lower in people who eat breakfast every day, compared to those who skip breakfast.
Many people believe that skipping breakfast will decrease their caloric intake and help them lose weight. Actually, people who don't eat breakfast may overeat later in the day and make up the calories they missed at breakfast. Furthermore, becoming over-hungry distorts satiety signals ( which help to determine when a person is full ) and leads to a lack of control. It is actually much better to eat smaller meals, especially breakfast, an snacks throughout the day than eating just two big meals.
Just as important as eating breakfast regularly, is the quality of breakfast one eats. Eating a healthy breakast is easy, even for people who don't have a lot of time in the morning. A small bag of whole grain cereal, yogurt, juice, granola bar, fruit or even a peanut butter sandwich is a healthy breakfast choice, and is easy to eat on the go.
Before rushing out the door on an empty stomach, remember, you may help to reduce your risk of obesity, diabetes an therefore, heart disease just by eating an apple or granola bar during your commute to work or school.
From: Health Beat in the Citrus Co. Chronicle
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