Dear Pharmacist

Suzy Cohen, R. Ph.

Can Vitamin C Replace Statins? Potential Benefits For Cardiovascular Health

By Suzy Cohen, R. Ph.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid plays a vital role in various physiological processes in the human body. We can’t make it ourselves. We have to eat it or take dietary supplements.

As you know, vitamin C functions as an antioxidant, protecting our body against oxidative stress caused by free radicals which destroy cells. This leads to chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and faster aging (due to a breakdown in collagen).

A deficiency of vitamin C can cause numerous problems to occur, mainly because of the lack of collagen production which C facilitates. Low collagen will cause more wrinkles as well as fatigue, endothelial dysfunction, anemia, frequent infections, anxiety, depression, and tender, bleeding gums.

Low collagen causes vasoconstriction which increases blood pressure. The collagen that C helps you produce ensures a more elastic blood vessel, and that’s what you want. Without enough collagen, the vessels are not as bendy and it’s this loss of elasticity (and resulting oxidative stress) that increases your risk for hypertension.

Several studies have shown that vitamin C supplementation can lead to a significant reduction in blood pressure in people with hypertension. For example, a meta-analysis of 29 randomized controlled trials found that vitamin C supplementation led to a modest but statistically significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Some studies suggest that vitamin C may have a modest beneficial effect on cholesterol levels. You can certainly take it with a statin drug if your practitioner likes the idea because there’s no bad interaction. The C enhances the effect of the statin’s cholesterol-reducing power. But to answer the question, “Can vitamin C replace statins” the answer is no. It definitely doesn’t reduce cholesterol like the pharmaceutics, but it will contribute to better cardiovascular health if you maintain adequate levels. People like to supplement with vitamin C. The truth is that synthetic ascorbic acid will give you vitamin C - it’s made in a laboratory and derived from corn usually. It’s not bad, it’s just that some people think that all those supplements are made by squeezing oranges, and that’s just not true. There are some 100% natural vitamin C brands that are produced by extracting the nutrient from actual fruits like cherries, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits which is what I do.

Here’s a fun fact about blood pressure: Did you know that giraffes have incredibly high blood pressure, it’s around 280/180 mmHg, which is more than twice the average human blood pressure!

This is because giraffes have really long necks, so their hearts have to work extra hard to pump blood all the way up to their heads. But they’re generally healthy and rarely experience cardiovascular problems since their blood vessels are very elastic so they don’t rupture or tear.

Ask your physician about it if you take certain medications like antibiotics like tetracycline or erythromycin. High doses of vitamin C may interfere with the effectiveness of chemotherapy. I have a more comprehensive version of this article.

To read that, please visit my website, suzycohen.com.”

(This information is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Suzy Cohen is the author of “The 24-Hour Pharmacist” and “Real Solutions.” For more information, visit www.SuzyCohen.com) ©2022 SUZY COHEN, RPH. DISTRIBUTED BY DEAR PHARMACIST, INC.

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