Eat more vitamin C for a healthy heart
You are what you eat. So the healthier your diet, the haler and heartier you are. It’s common knowledge that food habits have a direct impact on your cardiovascular health. The question is what should you eat? There is enough written about heart-healthy foods like omega 3 rich fish and nuts, beans, spinach, oatmeal and dark chocolate. Similarly, the importance of an active lifestyle for a healthy heart is also well established and widely known. But the role of vitamin C in improving heart health is generally underplayed and it is speculated that it can improve cardiovascular functions. In fact, studies have shown that those who have a diet deficient in vitamin C are at an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that is found in abundance in fruits such as orange, guava, strawberries, limes, gooseberries, kiwi and pineapple and in vegetables like kale and broccoli. The water-soluble vitamin is generated naturally in most mammals but not humans, gorillas, guinea pigs and fruit bats. So it’s important that we make a conscious effort to include this life-saving vitamin in our diet. This is probably one of the reasons why humans often face a vitamin C deficiency because they don’t get enough of it from their food.
Among its many functions is repairing and healing the body from its daily wear and tear and helping it absorb iron. More importantly, its antioxidant properties help scavenge free radicals that can cause heart problems like stroke.1 These very properties contribute towards heart health. The vitamin prevents oxidative changes to LDL cholesterol which could cause atherosclerosis. In a study conducted at University of Colorado, Boulder concluded that having a vitamin C-rich diet daily improves the functions of the blood vessels. Consuming vitamin C has the same effect as walking on endothelin-1, a protein that constricts blood vessels.2
To ensure you get your daily dose of vitamin C, start your day with a glass or orange juice and a healthy serving of fresh vitamin C-rich fruits. Squeeze a wedge of lime into your drinking water or infuse slices of lemon or orange in your water bottle. It’s the little things you do that can keep your heart healthy for longer.
Be Healthy....................
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