Report claims vitamin C may help hypertension

NEW YORK Vitamin C may lower high blood pressure, according to research by Italian scientists presented at the American Heart Association’s Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research in Atlanta Friday.

The researchers found that injections of vitamin C lowered overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, which is one of the causes of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. 

The researchers analyzed 12 patients diagnosed with hypertension that did not have a known cause and who had not received treatment. The patients received vitamin C intravenously over five minutes and were monitored for 20 more minutes. During the period, activity in the sympathetic nervous system decreased by 11 percent, while blood pressure decreased by about 7 percent.