Addressing Hypertension via Nutrition (Stalking a Silent Killer)

Another nutritional compound that supports vascular health is vitamin C, which enhances collagen production and vascular flexibility. Further, hypertensive adults appear to have higher levels of oxidative stress and lower plasma levels of vitamin C, suggesting oxidative stress may play a role in the pathology of hypertension.²⁶ Clinical trials have found a benefit to reducing oxidative stress. A study out of Japan found providing ascorbic acid (600 mg/d) to elderly patients being treated for hypertension could markedly reduce systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure.²⁷ Another study conducted in India reported similar results, as 1,000 mg/d of vitamin C added to antihypertensive therapy reduced systolic blood pressure and decreased parameters of oxidative stress.²⁸

Combined antioxidant supplementation—vitamin C plus the fat-soluble vitamin E—may have even better results. Researchers from the University of Pisa, Italy, evaluated the effect of vitamin C (1 g/d) and vitamin E (400 IU/d) versus placebo in hypertensive men (n=30) for eight weeks.²⁹ Intervention significantly improved flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and arterial flexibility, as well as vasodilation and oxidative stress parameters. A similar intervention netted like results in a trial from the University of Chile, Santiago, in which men with hypertension (n=110) who took vitamins C+E for eight weeks had significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure and higher serum antioxidant capacity.³⁰

Vitamin E’s tocotrienol isomers also appear to play a role in reducing hypertension. In one study, hypertensive rats were treated with gamma-tocotrienol for three months; plasma and blood vessel lipid peroxides were reduced, and total antioxidant status was improved.³¹ In follow-up work, the same team found gamma-tocotrienol could reduce systolic blood pressure significantly, and improve nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity, impacting the pathogenesis of hypertension.³²