A new research study conducted at the University of Colorado has claimed that the intake of vitamin C supplements daily gives similar cardiovascular benefits as regular exercise in overweight and obese adults, Los Angeles times reported.
Researchers said that more than half the overweight and obese adults do not exercise to improve their health, even when advised to do so.
The results were presented in Atlanta this week at the American Physiological Society's annual meeting. The study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The study was conducted on a small group of 35 sedentary adults. The participants who took 500 milligrams of Vitamin C daily saw equal improvement in blood vessel tone as did those who took up three-months of brisk walking five to seven times a week.
The study showed that a daily intake of vitamin C supplements improves vessel function and lowers the activity of vessel constricting protein endothelin (ET)-1. The blood vessels of overweight and obese adults have an elevated activity of ET-1 that makes these vessels prone to constriction. The constriction of the vessels makes them less responsive to blood flow, making the person susceptible to the risk of developing vascular disease.
Earlier studies have shown that regular exercise reduces the activity of ET-1. However, it is a challenging task for most people to incorporate a regular exercise regimen in their schedule.
The study showed than an intake of daily supplementation of vitamin reduced the vessel constriction related to elevated ET-1 activity related as much as walking for exercise did.
A moderate intake of Vitamin C is between 30-and-180 mg per day. The upper limit for adults of Vitamin C is 2,000 milligrams.
According to Los Angeles Times, the study's lead author, Caitlin Dow, said the findings were important for people who cannot exercise because of injury or physical limitations.
"If we can improve different measures of risk for disease without changing weight, it takes a little bit of the pressure off some people," Dow said.
While Vitamin C "certainly isn't a new cure," she added, "it's important to know what other lifestyle changes we can offer people who can't exercise."
