Abstract
Background: Essential hypertension is characterized by endothelial dysfunction, arterial stiffness, and increased
oxidative stress. We evaluated the effect of short-term treatment with the antioxidant vitamin C on blood
pressure in essential hypertensive patients.
Patients and Methods: A total of 50 participants with essential hypertension were evaluated before and after
the study. They received 250 mg vitamin C twice daily for one month. Blood pressure, weight and height were
measured before and after intervention. Body mass index was calculated and dietary pattern was assessed by
using food frequency questionnaire and 24 dietary recalls.
Results: We observed a significant decline in both systolic blood pressure (138.1±12.7 vs 134.2±11.5 mmHg,
p<0.005) and diastolic blood pressure (87.2±10.1 vs 85±8.8 mmHg, p<0.005) of the participants after one month
of vitamin C intake. These effects were independent of patient’s BMI .
Conclusion: Our results indicates that daily intake of 500 mg supplementary vitamin C (250mg twice daily)
may have beneficial effects on blood pressure and thus reducing the risk of complications.
oxidative stress. We evaluated the effect of short-term treatment with the antioxidant vitamin C on blood
pressure in essential hypertensive patients.
Patients and Methods: A total of 50 participants with essential hypertension were evaluated before and after
the study. They received 250 mg vitamin C twice daily for one month. Blood pressure, weight and height were
measured before and after intervention. Body mass index was calculated and dietary pattern was assessed by
using food frequency questionnaire and 24 dietary recalls.
Results: We observed a significant decline in both systolic blood pressure (138.1±12.7 vs 134.2±11.5 mmHg,
p<0.005) and diastolic blood pressure (87.2±10.1 vs 85±8.8 mmHg, p<0.005) of the participants after one month
of vitamin C intake. These effects were independent of patient’s BMI .
Conclusion: Our results indicates that daily intake of 500 mg supplementary vitamin C (250mg twice daily)
may have beneficial effects on blood pressure and thus reducing the risk of complications.
Keywords
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Copyright
© 2009, Author(s). This open-access article is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which allows for unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.