American Nutrition Vitamin C-1000 - 250 Tablets

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that has a number of biological functions. Acting as an antioxidant, one of vitamin C’s important functions is to protect LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage. (Only when LDL is damaged does cholesterol appear to lead to heart disease, and vitamin C may be one of the most important antioxidant protectors of LDL.)¹ Vitamin C may also protect against heart disease by reducing the stiffness of arteries and the tendency of platelets to clump together.²

The antioxidant properties of vitamin C are thought to protect smokers, as well as people exposed to secondhand smoke, from the harmful effects of free radicals. A controlled trial demonstrated the ability of 3 grams of vitamin C, taken by non-smokers two hours prior to being exposed to cigarette smoke, to reduce the free radical damage and LDL cholesterol oxidation associated with exposure to cigarette smoke.³ The smoke-induced decline in total antioxidant defense was also diminished. These beneficial effects were not observed in non-smokers under normal conditions (no free radical exposure).