Vitamin C deficiency linked to higher risk of stroke

A preliminary study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in April-May 2014 suggests that being deficient in Vitamin C raises your risk for a stroke. The lead researcher of the study, Dr. Stéphane Vannier, M.D., of Pontchaillou University Hospital in France, said that the research pointed to Vitamin C deficiency as a risk factor for the often deadly hemorrhagic type of stroke, just like high blood pressure or being overweight. He also called for further research to identify exactly how Vitamin C levels affect stroke risk (for instance, as an influence on blood pressure).

This study finds still another negative consequence of Vitamin C deficiency, since low Vitamin C levels have also been linked to anemia, a lower capacity to fight infection, lower wound healing capacity, gingivitis, and joint pain. Vitamin C is found in many fruits and vegetables, including oranges and peppers, and can also be obtained through supplementation.

NYBC stocks several different forms of Vitamin C, including Buffered Vitamin C (Jarrow), which is easier on the stomach than other forms; a Vitamin C with Olea Extract (Jarrow); and C Esterol (Allergy Research), which combines Vitamin C with other plant extracts rutin, quercetin, and grape seed proanthocyanidins.

Reference:
News of this preliminary study was widely reported, but we accessed some information at

http://www.webmd.com/stroke/news/20140214/can-vitamin-c-ward-off-stroke

Vitamin D3 and Omega-3 Study

There’s a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health that seeks to understand whether supplementing on a regular basis with Vitamin D3 (about 2000IU/day) and fish oil (about 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids/day) can decrease rates of heart disease, stroke or cancer in people who do not have a history of these diseases. It’s called the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) research study, and will attempt to enroll 20,000 men and women in the US and follow their medical histories for a number of years. Note that the study will enroll only men over 60 and women over 65–ages at which heart disease, stroke and cancer begin to occur with greater frequency.

Here’s the website of the study, which is being run by Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA:

http://www.vitalstudy.org/

The designers of this research were interested in looking at both Vitamin D3 and fish oil/omega-3 fatty acids because of the accumulating evidence for the health benefits of these two widely investigated supplements, and because the two show different mechanisms of action in inhibiting inflammatory responses in the body. The study is designed to separate out the effect of each of the two supplements, but also investigate whether combining the two produces the added benefit in terms of disease prevention.

Note that there is already a great deal of evidence to support the health benefit of omega-3 fatty acids for people with heart disease. And there is likewise evidence to support the benefit of Vitamin D3 (plus calcium) for those with deficiency-related conditions like bone loss. The VITAL study, on the other hand, has the specific goal of looking at whether regular supplementation can actually prevent development of cardiovascular disease and/or cancer in healthy people.

NYBC stocks Vitamin D3 1000IU and ProOmega (1000mg/60 softgels).
Purchasing these two at the member’s cost of about $26 will give you a two months supply at the VITAL study’s dosages.

Alpha Lipoic Acid – University of Maryland Medical Center Website Entry

This is a brief overview on alpha lipoic acid, a much-studied antioxidant that holds special interest to those with chronic liver disease and/or HIV. If you’re one of those people who like their information in capsule summary form (with further details and references attached), this may be just the ticket to get you started. The full entry can be found on the University of Maryland Medical Center’s website –another in a growing set of mainstream medical information resources that host serious information on “integrative medicine,” including dietary supplements.
—

Overview

Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant that is manufactured in the human body. Antioxidants are substances that work by attacking “free radicals,” waste products created when the body turns food into energy. There are also many sources of free radicals in the environment such as ultraviolet rays, radiation, and toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke, car exhaust, and pesticides. Free radicals cause harmful chemical reactions that can damage cells in the body, making it harder for the body to fight off infections. As a result a person becomes more susceptible to long term diseases such as diabetes and liver damage.

Uses

General

Alpha-lipoic acid works together with other antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. It is important for growth, helps to prevent cell damage, and helps the body rid itself of harmful substances.

Diabetes

Several studies suggest that treatment with ALA may help reduce pain, burning, itching, tingling, and numbness in people who have nerve damage (called peripheral neuropathy) caused by diabetes. Alpha-lipoic acid has been used for years for this purpose in Europe. Other studies have shown that alpha-lipoic acid speeds the removal of glucose (sugar) from the blood of people with diabetes and that this antioxidant may prevent kidney damage associated with diabetes in animals.

Liver Disease

Alpha-lipoic acid may prove useful in the treatment of chronic hepatitis because it relieves stress on the liver and helps rid the body of toxins. There have been several case reports of use of alpha-lipoic acid in combination with silymarin (milk thistle) and selenium (a substance with liver-protecting and antioxidant properties) to help treat hepatitis C (a serious type of hepatitis contracted from blood and bodily fluids that does not have an adequate cure or treatment).

It has also been used in conjunction with silymarin to treat Amanita poisoning. Amanita is a highly poisonous mushroom that causes liver damage.

Brain Function and Stroke

Because alpha-lipoic acid can pass easily into the brain, it has protective effects on brain and nerve tissue and shows promise as a treatment for stroke and other brain disorders involving free radical damage. Animals treated with alpha-lipoic acid, for example, suffered less brain damage and had a four times greater survival rate after a stroke than the animals who did not receive this supplement. While animal studies are encouraging, more research is needed to understand whether this benefit applies to people as well.

Other

Additional conditions for which alpha-lipoic acid may prove useful include heart failure, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cataracts, and glaucoma. More research is underway in these areas.

Niacin and statin combination therapy to protect against risk of heart attack or stroke

The National Institutes of Health is funding a large-scale study in the US and Canada to follow thousands of heart patients who take niacin plus a statin drug, versus those taking only a statin drug. A widely-held expectation is that the study will add further support to the already substantial case for niacin + statin as the therapy of choice to protect against heart attack or stroke for those with cardiovascular disease.

While statins have shown effectiveness in reducing LDL, the so-called “bad cholesterol,” it is niacin that takes the prize in increasing levels of HDL, also known as the “good cholesterol.” In past studies, niacin was found to increase HDL by as much as 35%, while also reducing artery-clogging triglycerides as much as 50%. Moreover, niacin was the subject of landmark long-term research begun in the 1970s, which showed it substantially reduced second heart attacks and strokes in men who had suffered a first heart attack.  

A recent analysis of 23 clinical trials conducted by researchers at the University of Washington concluded that increasing HDL by 30% and decreasing LDL by 40% would reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by 70% in a typical cardiovascular patient. Thus, combining the HDL-raising capacity of niacin with the LDL-lowering capacity of statin drugs may offer one of the most promising avenues toward improving cardiovascular care and increasing survival rates.

Notes and warnings:

–Statin drugs have side effects, so their use is not without risk (see the post on this blog, “When FDA-approved drugs stumble…”

–An earlier study led by Dr. B Greg Brown of the University of Washington reported that antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin E, vitamin C, and b carotene curb the rise in HDL levels seen with the niacin + statin combination. Accordingly, patients using this combination therapy may be advised to avoid antioxidant supplementation. (New England Journal of Medicine 2001;345:1583-92).

–For futher details on suggested use, see NYBC’s description of Niacin 100mg and Niacin 400mg. These are timed-release formulas; also provided are guides for minimizing the “flushing” that can accompany niacin use. Note that, as always, NYBC recommends consulting a health care professional about use of this dietary supplement.

–Background on niacin and the renewed interest in it as part of a combination therapy for cardiovascular patients: Michael Mason, “An Old Cholesterol Remedy is New Again,” in The New York Times, Jan. 23, 2007.