Vitamin C and E

January 22, 2011

Vitamins C and E Affect Metabolic Syndrome in Ecuador

von Wartburg

Jan 18, 2011

On the outskirts of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, meals are likely to be

based on white rice, potatoes, sugar, and white bread. Given their reliance

foods that are low in essential nutrients, many of the residents are

overweight and malnourished at the same time. The lack of vitamin

contribute to metabolic syndrome, according to researchers from the Jean

Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts

University and the Corporation Ecuatoriana de Biotecnologia. The researchers

also concluded that vitamin E may have a protective effect against metabolic

syndrome.

The Tufts study enrolled 225 women and 127 men living in Quito, aged 65

years and older, who reported their food intake in biweekly interviews and

provided blood samples. Fifty-five percent of the women and 33 percent of

the men were overweight. Forty percent of the population had metabolic

syndrome, a cluster of conditions generally associated with central obesity,

including raised triglycerides, reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL)

cholesterol

> , raised blood pressure, and high blood sugar

After adjusting for age and sex, the researchers noted significant

relationships between metabolic syndrome and the vitamins C and E. The

participants as a group did not exhibit low blood levels of vitamin E, but

82 percent of them had low blood levels of vitamin C. Based upon their

findings, the researchers concluded that higher blood levels of vitamin E

may protect against metabolic syndrome, but that a vitamin C deficiency

contributes to metabolic syndrome.

The researchers also observed a significant relationship between metabolic

syndrome and C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of low-grade inflammation

that has been associated with cardiovascular disease risk. High CRP blood

concentrations were seen in almost half of the population.

Source:

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