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Vitamin C: The exercise replacement?

Date:
September 4, 2015
Source:
American Physiological Society (APS)
Summary:
Exercise improves health in overweight and obese adults but can be hard to incorporate into a daily routine. New findings show that taking vitamin C supplements daily instead can have similar cardiovascular benefits as regular exercise in these adults.
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Overweight and obese adults are advised to exercise to improve their health, but more than 50 percent do not do so. New research to be presented at the 14th International Conference on Endothelin: Physiology, Pathophysiology and Therapeutics suggests that taking vitamin C supplements daily can have similar cardiovascular benefits as regular exercise in these adults.

The blood vessels of overweight and obese adults have elevated activity of the small vessel-constricting protein endothelin (ET)-1. Because of the high ET-1 activity, these vessels are more prone to constricting, becoming less responsive to blood flow demand and increasing risk of developing vascular disease. Exercise has been shown to reduce ET-1 activity, but incorporating an exercise regimen into a daily routine can be challenging. This study, conducted at the University of Colorado, Boulder, examined whether vitamin C supplements, which have been reported to improve vessel function, can also lower ET-1 activity. The researchers found that daily supplementation of vitamin C (500 mg/day, time-released) reduced ET-1-related vessel constriction as much as walking for exercise did. Vitamin C supplementation represents an effective lifestyle strategy for reducing ET-1-mediated vessel constriction in overweight and obese adults, the researchers wrote.


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Materials provided by American Physiological Society (APS). Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


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American Physiological Society (APS). "Vitamin C: The exercise replacement?." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 September 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150904144604.htm>.
American Physiological Society (APS). (2015, September 4). Vitamin C: The exercise replacement?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150904144604.htm
American Physiological Society (APS). "Vitamin C: The exercise replacement?." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150904144604.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

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