Georgia – A new study presented at the International Conference on Endothelin shows that taking Vitamin C supplements can have the same cardiovascular benefits as regular physical activity for obese people.
Obese people have elevated activity of the protein Endothelin (ET-1) in their blood vessels, which generates a higher tendency to constrict, becoming less responsive to blood flow demand and increasing the risk of developing vascular disease. Both Vitamin C and exercise have been proved to reduce ET-1 activity, with the difference that incorporating an exercise regime into daily life can be challenging for some.
The study took 35 overweight adults with impaired vascular tone that made them at risk of developing heart disease. Some of them were given Vitamin C and other were made exercise daily. Some factors controlling the effects were forearm blood flow and responses to intra-arterial infusion of endothelin-1 before and after each intervention.
Even though regular physical activity continues to be more beneficial for metabolism function or cholesterol, for those people unable to get up and walk, daily Vitamin C doses constitute a healthy option.
“If we can improve different measures of risk for disease without changing weight, it takes a little bit of the pressure off some people […] It’s important to know what other lifestyle changes we can offer people who can’t exercise” Caitlin Dow, lead author of the study said.
Source: Medical News