How Taking Vitamin C Could Pass for an Exercise Routine

A new study to be presented at a conference of the American Physiological Society argues that, at least in the case of overweight and obese individuals, something as simple as taking vitamin C could deliver the same health benefits as a proper exercise routine. 

Thus, evidence indicates that people who struggle with their weight but who don't exercise quite as often as they should can hope to improve on the overall health of their cardiovascular system if they include Vitamin C supplements in their daily diet.

“Overweight and obese adults are advised to exercise to improve their health, but more than 50% do not do so. New research suggests that taking vitamin C supplements daily can have similar cardiovascular benefits as regular exercise,” specialists say.

How vitamin C mimics the effects of exercise

In a report detailing their findings, specialist Caitlin Dow with the University of Colorado, Boulder and fellow researchers explain that, as shown by previous investigations, the majority of overweight and obese adults display elevated activity of a vessel-constricting protein dubbed ET-1.

In turn, this makes them more vulnerable to cardiovascular disease as a result of having less responsive blood vessels and, consequently, improper blood flood. Several studies have shown that regular exercise is all it takes to reduce ET-1 activity.

Interestingly, it appears that vitamin C supplements can have the same effect if taken daily. Thus, experiments have shown that 500 milligrams of vitamin C per day can reduce vessel construction as a result of ET-1 activity as much as going for a walk would.

Since most overweight and obese individuals have trouble sticking to an exercise routine, precisely because of their weight, specialists propose that, in light of these findings, daily vitamin C supplements could be considered a worthwhile alternative, even a lifestyle strategy.

“Vitamin C supplementation represents an effective lifestyle strategy for reducing ET-1-mediated vessel constriction in overweight and obese adults,” they say.