Vitamin c protects from hemorrhagic stroke as Dr. Stéphane Vannier suggested. He presented the results of a study at the American Academy of Neurology 66th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia where he showed that a lack of vitamin C was responsible for hemorrhagic strokes.
He stated that disease from a lack of vitamin C is well known as scurvy. People who present with this full-blown picture of vitamin C deficiency have blood vitamin C concentrations of less than 11 micromoles per liter. In contrast there is vitamin C depletion where vitamin C blood levels are less than 38 micromoles per liter.
Vitamin C Protects From Hemorrhagic Stroke
Dr. Vannier’s study consisted of 65 hemorrhagic stroke patients (due to an acute intracerebral bleed) that were compared to an equal amount of controls without a stroke. The hemorrhagic stroke patients had a collective vitamin C blood level of 35.3 micromoles per liter (in he depleted range). The control patients had a level of 56.2 micromoles per liter on average, which was normal. Hemorrhagic stroke patients with depleted vitamin C levels were observed to have a prolonged recovery in hospital compared to patients who had normal vitamin C blood levels. Although hemorrhagic strokes are less common than ischemic strokes, they have a much higher overall mortality.
The take home message is to take your vitamin C supplement regularly on top of eating fruit and vegetables.
More information is available at Hemorrhagic Stroke and regarding vitamin C at Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements.
Reference: American Academy of Neurology 66th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, April 26-May 3, 2014
