Study Says Vitamin C Helps Prevent Strokes (10/27)

      Vitamin C in the blood helps prevent strokes, according to a study out of the Medical Research Institute of Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan.

      The long-term, 20-year study of more than 2,000 people found that stroke risk is inversely related to the amount of vitamin C in the bloodstream.

      Study participants were divided into four groups according to the levels of vitamin C in their blood. Researchers found that stroke risk was 70 percent higher among those in the lowest quarter than among those in the highest.

      When researchers examined strokes based on the number of days per week the participants ate fruits and vegetables, they found a similar relationship.

      Patients all received their vitamin C from fruits and vegetables.

      The vitamin C reduced the risk for cerebral infarctions, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked, and hemorrhagic strokes, which occur when an artery in the brain bursts.

      Higher concentrations of vitamin C provided benefits even in patients with other risk factors such as high blood pressure, heavier alcohol consumption, smoking or lower physical activity.

c.2000 Fort Worth Star-Telegram