ascorbic-acid and Cerebrovascular-Disorders

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as the superoxide (O2.-) and the hydroxyl radical (OH.) are aggressive chemical compounds that can induce tissue injury, e.g. by peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes or directly by DNA damage. Many pathological conditions are in part caused by ROS. There are various biological defense systems directed towards radicals: specific enzymes, e.g. superoxide dismutase or glutathione peroxidase; nonessential antioxidants, e.g. the plasma proteins and uric acid; and the essential antioxidants, e.g. vitamin C, vitamin E and carotenoids. This review focuses on various clinical conditions where ROS are of major pathogenetic significance: ageing, cancer, stroke, hematologic disorders, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and organ preservation in transplantation medicine. Moreover, the complementary system of the vitamins C and E in defense against ROS is shortly discussed and the need for further studies about the effects of antioxidant treatment, such as interventional studies, proposed. The chronic exposure of the organism to ROS is an important factor for tissue injury in the process of ageing. Lipofuscin is a typical product of lipid peroxidation and inversely correlates with longevity of an organism. The ingestion of higher doses of antioxidative vitamins was recently shown to be protective for the development of cataracts, a degenerative disorder of the eye. The impairment of the immune system in elderly people might be prevented by a higher intake of multivitamin supplements. Whether supplementation with antioxidative vitamins can extend the life span in humans, as was shown in experimental animals, remains unanswered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Aging; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Carotenoids; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Free Radicals; Hematologic Diseases; Humans; Neoplasms; Reactive Oxygen Species; Respiratory Distress Syndrome; Vitamin E

For the prolongation of life expectancy and reduction of ischemic heart disease (IHD) dietary guidelines generally recommend lowering saturated mammalian fat with partial replacement by vegetable oils and increasing generously vegetables, legumes, and fruits, which provide more essential antioxidants. Plasma antioxidants as assayed in epidemiological studies of complementary type (ie the cross-cultural MONICA Vitamin Substudy reevaluation considering the "Finland-Factor", the Edinburgh Angina-Control Study, and the Basel Prospective Study) consistently revealed an increased risk of IHD (and stroke) at low plasma concentrations of antioxidants, with the rank order as follows: lipid-standardized vitamin E >> carotene = vitamin C > vitamin A, independently of classical IHD risk factors. Decreasing IHD risk through nutrition may be possible when plasma concentrations have the following values: > 27.5-30.0 mumol vitamin E/L, 0.4-0.5 mumol carotene/L, 40-50 mumol vitamin C/L and 2.2-2.8 mumol vitamin A/L. Thus, previous prudent regimens may now be updated, aiming at an optimal status of all essential and synergistically linked antioxidants.

Topics: Angina Pectoris; Ascorbic Acid; Blood Pressure; Carotenoids; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Cholesterol; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Myocardial Ischemia; Risk Factors; Selenium; Vitamin E

Topics: Alcohol Drinking; Animals; Ascorbic Acid; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Colonic Neoplasms; Diet; Esophageal Neoplasms; Female; Fishes; Food Preservation; Food Preservatives; Humans; Hypertension; Male; Nitrites; Risk; Smoking; Stomach Neoplasms

The relations of dietary antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene to 30-year risk of stroke incidence and mortality were investigated prospectively in the Chicago Western Electric Study among 1,843 middle-aged men who remained free of cardiovascular disease through their second examination. Stroke mortality was ascertained from death certificates, and nonfatal stroke from records of the Health Care Financing Administration. During 46, 102 person-years of follow-up, 222 strokes occurred; 76 of them were fatal. After adjustment for age, systolic blood pressure, cigarette smoking, body mass index, serum cholesterol, total energy intake, alcohol consumption, and diabetes, relative risks (and 95% confidence intervals) for nonfatal and fatal strokes (n = 222) in highest versus lowest quartiles of dietary beta-carotene and vitamin C intake were 0.84 (0.57-1.24) and 0.71 (0.47-1.05), respectively. Generally similar results were observed for fatal strokes (n = 76). Although there was a modest decrease in risk of stroke with higher intake of beta-carotene and vitamin-C intake, these data do not provide definitive evidence that high intake of antioxidant vitamins decreases risk of stroke.

Topics: Adult; Ascorbic Acid; beta Carotene; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Diet; Humans; Illinois; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Nutritional Status; Proportional Hazards Models; Risk

Vitamins are playing an increasingly important role in "malattie evolutive", both in the newer sense meaning diseases connected with general development and in the original sense of progressive diseases. Examples of the preventive use of vitamins in certain development phases are the prophylactic administration of vitamin E in premature and new-born babies as protection against retrolental fibroplasia, vitamin K against haemorrhage and vitamin D against bone deformation. Deficient ossification in osteogenesis imperfecta can be prevented by high doses of vitamin C. Recently, greater medical interest has centred around the preventive use of high vitamin dosage in "malattie evolutive" in the original sense. Here, the main interest has been in vitamins E and C which, as recent investigations show, are capable of retarding or preventing deleterious cardiovascular or oncological diseases.

Topics: Adolescent; Aorta; Ascorbic Acid; Blood Glucose; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Child; Child, Preschool; Cholesterol; Clinical Trials as Topic; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Lipids; Male; Osteogenesis Imperfecta; Vitamins

In a prospective double-blind controlled trial the effect of large doses of ascorbic acid on the healing of pressure-sores has been assessed. 20 surgical patients were studied, the pressure areas being assessed by serial photography and ulcer tracings. The mean ascorbic-acid levels in treated and non-treated groups one month after the start of treatment were 65.6 and 25.8 mug per 10-8 white blood-cells. In the group treated with ascorbic acid there was a mean reduction in pressure-sore area of 84% after one month compared with 42.7% in the placebo group. These findings are statistically significant (P less than 0.005) and suggest that ascorbic acid may accelerate the healing of pressure-sores.

Topics: Aged; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Ascorbic Acid; Ascorbic Acid Deficiency; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Clinical Trials as Topic; Female; Fractures, Bone; Humans; Leukocytes; Male; Middle Aged; Paraplegia; Postoperative Complications; Pressure Ulcer; Prospective Studies; Vascular Diseases; Wound Healing

Multiple pathogeneses are involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD), such as amyloid-β accumulation, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress. The pathological impact of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion on Alzheimer's disease is still poorly understood.. APP23 mice were implanted to bilateral common carotid arteries stenosis with ameroid constrictors for slowly progressive chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH). The effects of the administration of Twendee X (TwX) were evaluated by behavioral analysis, immunohistochemical analysis, and immunofluorescent histochemistry.. In the present study, chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, which is commonly found in aged Alzheimer's disease, significantly exacerbated motor dysfunction of APP23 mice from 5 months and cognitive deficit from 8 months of age, as well as neuronal loss, extracellular amyloid-β plaque and intracellular oligomer formations, and amyloid angiopathy at 12 months. Severe upregulations of oxidative markers and inflammatory markers were found in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus at 12 months. Twendee X treatment (20 mg/kg/d, from 4.5 to 12 months) substantially rescued the cognitive deficit and reduced the above amyloid-β pathology and neuronal loss, alleviated neuroinflammation and oxidative stress.. The present findings suggested a potential therapeutic benefit of Twendee X for Alzheimer's disease with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion.

Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Behavior, Animal; Brain; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Chronic Disease; Cognition; Cystine; Dietary Supplements; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Glutamine; Inflammation Mediators; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Motor Activity; Mutation; Neuroprotective Agents; Oxidative Stress; Plaque, Amyloid

The pathological impact of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) on Alzheimer's disease (AD) is still poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the role of CCH on an AD mouse model in phosphorylated tau and α-synuclein pathology, neurovascular unit, cerebrovascular remodeling, and neurovascular trophic coupling. Moreover, examined protective effect of a new antioxidant Twendee X (TwX).. APP23 mice were implanted to bilateral common carotid arteries stenosis with ameroid constrictors to gradually decrease the cerebral blood flow. The effects of the administration of TwX were evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis and Immunofluorescent histochemistry.. Our findings indicate that administration of a new antioxidative mixture TwX substantially reduced the above neuropathologic abnormalities, suggesting a potential therapeutic benefit of TwX for AD with CCH.

Topics: alpha-Synuclein; Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; Animals; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Brain; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Cystine; Dietary Supplements; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Glutamine; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Mutation; Neurovascular Coupling; Phenotype; Phosphorylation; tau Proteins

The management of antioxidant micronutrient status in patients with chronic diseases may be an important step in controlling disease progression and preventing deterioration in patient quality of life. The objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant micronutrient status and lipid profiles of cerebrovascular disease (CbVD) patients and to compare this information with an evaluation of normal healthy subjects. A total of 57 male subjects (26 patients with CbVD and 31 healthy subjects) and 65 female subjects (32 patients with CbVD and 33 healthy subjects) were included in this cross-sectional study. Plasma lipid profiles, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), fasting plasma concentration of antioxidant vitamins (A, C, E) and trace minerals (Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe and Se) were measured. Compared to healthy subjects, male but not female CbVD patients showed a lower energy intake (p < 0.01) which was largely due to a lower intake of dietary carbohydrate. They also consumed a diet containing a higher level of vitamins A and C. Plasma vitamin C (p < 0.01, in women) and vitamin E (p < 0.05, both in men and women) concentrations were prominently lower in the patients compared to healthy subjects. Plasma levels of the two antioxidant minerals Zn and Se were found to be markedly lower in the patients with CbVD, both in men and women (p < 0.05). Despite consuming less energy and food with a higher vitamin A and C level than healthy subjects, antioxidant micronutrient status, lipid peroxidation levels and the atherogenic index of male CbVD patients suggested that their antioxidant micronutrient intake was in some respects nutritionally inadequate. A similar conclusion could be made regarding the nutritional inadequacy of female CbVD patient diets. Expert dietary advice and intervention should be given to CbVD patients in order to optimize micronutrient intake and status.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Anthropometry; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Diet; Female; Humans; Lipids; Male; Middle Aged; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; Trace Elements; Vitamin A; Vitamin E

To investigate serum levels of endogenous oxidation agents, anti-oxidation agents and clinical significance in the patients with cerebral vascular disease (CVD).. Using biochemical methods, the levels of serum nitric oxide (NO), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and anti-oxidants vitamin E (VitE), vitamin C (VitC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) in 49 patients with cerebral hemorrhage (CH), 65 patients with cerebral infarction(CI) and 35 patients with other nervous system diseases and 34 healthy controls were determined.. In CH and CI groups, the levels of serum NO and MDA and the activity of serum NOS were significantly higher than that of the two other groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01). On the other hand, the patients with CH and CI had lower VitE, VitC levels and SOD activity than that of the two control groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01).. These findings suggest NO and NOS plays an important role in pathogenesis of cerebral damage after CH and CI. Determination of the concentrations of NO, VitE, VitC, MDA level, and NOS and SOD activity in serum can also help judge the seriousness and the course of the disease.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Case-Control Studies; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Female; Humans; Male; Malondialdehyde; Middle Aged; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Oxidation-Reduction; Vitamin E

Oxidative stress is an important mechanism of cell death in Parkinson's disease (PD) and brain ischemia. Vitamins C, E and A are important antioxidants and deficiency of these agents has been implicated in the mechanisms of atherosclerosis. We measured the levels of the above antioxidant vitamins in 44 patients with PD, 12 patients with vascular parkinsonism (VP), 11 patients with other parkinsonism syndromes of various causes and 39 controls. Vitamin A levels did not differ between groups. Vitamins C and E were found decreased in VP, while they were normal in PD indicating low levels of antioxidant vitamins in VP and stressing the necessity of maintaining sufficient dietary intake of these agents in the elderly.

Topics: Aged; Analysis of Variance; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Parkinson Disease; Statistics, Nonparametric; Vitamin E

Antioxidants increase the resistance of low-density lipoprotein to oxidation and may thereby reduce risk for atherosclerosis.. To determine whether intake of vitamin E, vitamin C, or carotenoids predict risk for total or ischemic stroke.. Prospective observational study.. The Health Professionals Follow-up Study.. 43,738 men 40 to 75 years of age who did not have cardiovascular disease or diabetes.. Repeated and validated dietary assessments were done by using a self-administered 131-item food-frequency questionnaire, which included questions on dose and duration of vitamin supplement use. The follow-up period was 8 years.. A total of 328 strokes occurred: 210 ischemic, 70 hemorrhagic, and 48 unclassified. After adjustment for age, smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, body mass index, physical activity, parental history of myocardial infarction, alcohol consumption, and total energy intake, the relative risk for ischemic stroke in the top quintile of vitamin E intake (median, 411 IU/d) compared with the bottom quintile (5.4 IU/d) was 1.18 (95% CI, 0.77 to 1.82). The relative risk for ischemic stroke in the top quintile of vitamin C intake (1167 mg/d) compared with the bottom quintile (95 mg/d) was 1.03 (CI, 0.66 to 1.59). Results for total stroke were similar. Associations of vitamin intake with hemorrhagic stroke were also nonsignificant, but the CIs were wide. Neither dose nor duration of vitamin E or vitamin C supplement use was related to risk for total or ischemic stroke. The relative risk for ischemic stroke was 1.16 (CI, 0.81 to 1.67) in men using 250 IU or more of vitamin E supplementation per day compared with men who used no vitamin E supplements and was 0.93 (CI, 0.60 to 1.45) in men using 700 mg or more of vitamin C supplementation per day compared with men who used no vitamin C supplements. A significant inverse relation between lutein intake and risk for ischemic stroke was seen but was not independent of other dietary factors.. Vitamin E and vitamin C supplements and specific carotenoids did not seem to substantially reduce risk for stroke in this cohort. Modest effects, however, cannot be excluded.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; beta Carotene; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Proportional Hazards Models; Prospective Studies; Regression Analysis; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States; Vitamin E

A large body of experimental research indicates that the generation of free radicals leading to oxidative stress plays a role in the pathogenesis of ischemic brain injury, but evidence in humans is limited. We examined plasma levels of lipid hydroperoxides (measured as cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides, CEOOH) and ascorbic acid in 32 patients with cortical stroke, as compared with 13 patients with lacunar infarct. Patients with cortical stroke had significantly increased levels of CEOOH, which peaked on Day 5 after the ictus. Small decreases in ascorbic acid concentrations were not significant. There was a significant positive correlation of CEOOH with the NIH stroke scale, and a significant negative correlation with the Glasgow coma scale. Concentrations of CEOOH were significantly higher in patients with total anterior cerebral syndrome as compared with patients with partial anterior cerebral syndrome or posterior cerebral syndrome. Stroke volumes computed from CT or MRI scans were significantly correlated with plasma CEOOH levels. These findings implicate oxidative stress in ischemic brain injury in humans and suggest that measurements of CEOOH in plasma may be useful both prognostically as well as in monitoring therapeutic interventions.

Topics: Aged; Ascorbic Acid; Brain Ischemia; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Cholesterol Esters; Female; Humans; Lipid Peroxides; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Plasma total peroxyl radical scavenging capacity was studied in terminal patients who were chronically immobilized because of an acute (stroke) or chronic neurodegenerative disease (Alzheimer's disease). A luminometric assay was used to measure total antioxidant capacity (TRAP). The immobilized patients showed significant decrease in TRAP primarily because of a decrease in the concentration of unknown antioxidants. Our results suggest that human plasma may contain unknown antioxidants, the regulation of which could be related to the basic metabolic rate.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Basal Metabolism; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Female; Humans; Immobilization; Middle Aged; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Uric Acid; Vitamin E

To investigate the relation between cognitive function and cause specific mortality in people aged 65 and over. DESIGN-A 20 year follow up study of a cohort of randomly selected elderly people living in the community who in 1973-4 had taken part in a nutritional survey funded by the Department of Health and Social Security.. Eight areas in Britain (five in England, two in Scotland, and one in Wales).. 921 men and women whose cognitive function was assessed by a geriatrician in 1973-4 and for whom data on health, socioeconomic circumstances, and diet had been recorded.. Cognitive impairment was associated with increased mortality, in particular death from ischaemic stroke. Those who scored 7 or less on the Hodkinson mental test had a relative risk of dying from stroke of 2.8 (95% confidence interval 1.4 to 5.5), compared with those who gained the maximum score (10), after adjustment for age, sex, blood pressure, serum cholesterol concentration, and vitamin C intake. These associations were independent of illness or social class. At the time of the nutritional survey, cognitive function was poorest in those with the lowest vitamin C status, whether measured by dietary intake or plasma ascorbic acid concentration. The relation between vitamin C status and cognitive function was independent of age, illness, social class, or other dietary variables.. The relation between cognitive function and risk of death from stroke suggests that cerebrovascular disease is an important cause of declining cognitive function. Vitamin C status may be a determinant of cognitive function in elderly people through its effect on atherogenesis. A high vitamin C intake may protect against both cognitive impairment and cerebrovascular disease.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ascorbic Acid; Cause of Death; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Cognition Disorders; Cohort Studies; Diet; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Mortality; Multivariate Analysis; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; United Kingdom

To determine whether vitamin C status, as measured by dietary intake and plasma ascorbic acid concentration, is related to mortality from stroke and coronary heart disease in people aged 65 and over.. A 20 year follow up study of a cohort of randomly selected elderly people living in the community who had taken part in the 1973-4 Department of Health and Social Security nutritional survey and for whom dietary and other data had been recorded.. Eight areas in Britain (five in England, two in Scotland, and one in Wales).. 730 men and women who had completed a seven day dietary record and who had no history or symptoms of stroke, cerebral arteriosclerosis, or coronary heart disease when examined by a geriatrician in 1973-4.. Mortality from stroke was highest in those with the lowest vitamin C status. Those in the highest third of the distribution of vitamin C intake had a relative risk of 0.5 (95% confidence interval 0.3 to 0.8) compared with those in the lowest third, after adjustment for age, sex, and established cardiovascular risk factors. The relation between vitamin C intake and stroke was independent of social class and other dietary variables. A similar gradient in risk was present for plasma ascorbic acid concentrations. No association was found between vitamin C status and risk of death from coronary heart disease.. In elderly people vitamin C concentration, whether measured by dietary intake or plasma concentration of ascorbic acid, is strongly related to subsequent risk of death from stroke but not from coronary heart disease.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ascorbic Acid; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Cohort Studies; Coronary Disease; Female; Humans; Male; Nutrition Surveys; Proportional Hazards Models; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors

It is believed that free radical formation and subsequent oxidative damage in the form of lipid peroxidation may be a factor in the cerebral damage secondary to the ischaemia of a cerebrovascular accident (CVA). Total serum ascorbate and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured in 45 patients with CVA on the day of admission to hospital (Time 0) and 48 hours later (Time 48 hours) and also in 45 age and sex matched controls. There was no statistical difference in total serum ascorbate between the control group (34.2 mumol/l +/- 3.1, mean +/- SEM) and the CVA patients at Time 0 (37.3 +/- 2.9) but there was a statistically significant decrease at Time 48 hours (22.7 +/- 2.0) (p < 0.001) in the CVA patients. With MDA there was no statistical difference between the patients at Time 0 (0.79 mumol/l +/- 0.06) and the control group (0.83 +/- 0.06) but there was a significant increase at Time 48 hours (1.65 +/- 0.08) (p < 0.001). These findings are in keeping with possible evidence of free radical damage in CVA.

Topics: Aged; Ascorbic Acid; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Colorimetry; Female; Free Radicals; Humans; Lipid Peroxidation; Male; Malondialdehyde; Time Factors

Previous cross-cultural comparisons of the mortality from ischemic heart disease in European communities with associated plasma levels of essential antioxidants have revealed strong inverse correlations for vitamin E and relatively weak correlations for other antioxidants. Similarly, in a case-control study in Edinburgh low plasma levels of vitamin E were significantly associated with an increased risk of previously undiagnosed angina pectoris whereas low levels of other essential antioxidants lacked statistical significance. The current Basel Prospective Study is particularly well suited to elucidate the impact of antioxidants other than vitamin E. In this population (which was recently evaluated regarding cancer mortality) the plasma levels of vitamins E and A are exceptionally high and above the presumed threshold level of risk for ischemic heart disease. The present 12-year follow-up of cardiovascular mortality in this study reveals a significantly increased relative risk of ischemic heart disease and stroke at initially low plasma levels of carotene (< 0.23 mumol/l) and/or vitamin C (< 22.7 mumol/l), independently of vitamin E and of the classical cardiovascular risk factors. Low levels of both carotene and vitamin C increase the risk further, in the case of stroke even with significance for overmultiplicative interaction. In conclusion, in cardiovascular disease independent inverse correlations may exist for every major essential antioxidant although the latter can also interact synergistically. Therefore future intervention trials of antioxidants in the prevention of ischemic heart disease should primarily test the simultaneous optimization of the status of all principal essential antioxidants.

Topics: Adult; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Ascorbic Acid Deficiency; Carotenoids; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Cohort Studies; Comorbidity; Humans; Male; Myocardial Ischemia; Proportional Hazards Models; Prospective Studies; Risk; Risk Factors; Switzerland; Vitamin A; Vitamin E

There is accumulating evidence that free radicals may contribute to various diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular disease. Possible health hazards can to some extent be prevented by the body's multilevel defense system against free radicals, which comprises, besides others, antioxidant vitamins. The 12-year mortality follow-up of 2,974 participants of the Basal Study allowed to test the hypothesis that low antioxidant vitamin plasma concentrations (vitamin A, C, E and carotene) were associated with increased death from cancer of various sites and death from atherosclerosis such as ischemic heart disease and stroke, respectively. For the analysis 204 cancer cases, 132 fatalities from ischemic heart disease (IHD) and 31 deaths from cerebral vascular disease were available. Cancer mortality. Overall mortality from cancer was associated with low mean plasma levels of carotene adjusted for cholesterol (p less than 0.01) and of vitamin C (p less than 0.01). Bronchus and stomach cancers were associated with a low mean plasma carotene level (p less than 0.01). Subjects with subsequent stomach cancer had also lower mean vitamin C and lipid-adjusted vitamin A levels than survivors (p less than 0.05). Calculating the relative risk with exclusion of mortality during the first two years of follow-up, low plasma carotene was associated with an increased risk for bronchus cancer (RR 1.8, p less than 0.05), and the small number of stomach cancer cases (RR 2.95, p less than 0.05) low plasma levels of carotene and vitamin A with all cancer types (RR 2.47, p less than 0.01), and low plasma retinol in older subjects (greater than 60 years) with lung cancer (RR 2.17, p less than 0.05). Studies in other cohorts with a poor vitamin E status revealed an increased risk of subsequent cancer at low vitamin E levels as well. It is concluded that low plasma levels of all major essential antioxidants are associated with an increased risk of subsequent cancer mortality. Cardio-vascular mortality. Plasma carotene concentration below quartile 1 was associated with an increased risk for IHD (RR 1.53, p = 0.02). The same was true for low levels of both carotene and vitamin C (RR = 1.96, p = 0.022). The risk of cerebrovascular death was elevated in subjects with low carotene in the presence of low vitamin C plasma concentration (RR 4.17, p less than 0.01). These data confirm and extend recent findings on an inverse correlation of beta-carotene and vitamin C respectively to CVD.(ABSTRACT

Topics: Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Cardiovascular Diseases; Carotenoids; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Cholesterol; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Free Radicals; Humans; Male; Myocardial Ischemia; Neoplasms; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Switzerland; Vitamin A; Vitamin E; Vitamins

Topics: Aging; Ascorbic Acid; Ascorbic Acid Deficiency; Blood Pressure; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Diabetes Complications; Diet, Vegetarian; Humans; Hypertension; Prevalence; United States

Sixty-three patients with acute thrombotic stroke were compared with 47 age and sex-matched patients admitted concurrently with acute ischaemic cardiac pain and a further 44 with acute noncardiovascular illnesses. Overall the stroke patients scored highest on a questionnaire designed to estimate mean daily intake of vitamin C before hospital admission. There were problems with this retrospective dietary assessment, however, and the diet scores of the 27 stroke patients able to answer the questionnaire themselves fell between those of the other two groups. There were no significant differences between the three patient groups in plasma ascorbic acid or uric acid levels, but plasma magnesium and albumin levels were higher in the stroke patients. These findings were similar for patients aged over and under 70 but intergroup differences in magnesium and albumin levels were more marked in the elderly. These results do not support the postulated inverse relationship between vitamin C status and the risk of stroke.

Topics: Acute Disease; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ascorbic Acid; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Epidemiologic Methods; Female; Humans; Magnesium; Male; Mental Recall; Middle Aged; Nutritional Status; Risk Factors; Serum Albumin; Surveys and Questionnaires; Uric Acid

Dietary intake as initially estimated by means of a 24-h recall has been related to the incidence of ischemic heart disease, stroke, and overall mortality during a 12-yr follow-up period in a prospective study of 1462 women representative of the general population. Energy intake was inversely correlated to the 12-yr incidence of myocardial infarction. The correlation was independent of age, indices of obesity, smoking habits, serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, and physical activity. No correlation was found between dietary intake and incidence of stroke or overall mortality, nor was any correlation found between end-points and intake of fish, energy percentage of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. These observations suggest that suboptimal intake of nutrients may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of ischemic heart disease.

Topics: Adult; Animals; Ascorbic Acid; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Diet; Energy Intake; Female; Fishes; Humans; Middle Aged; Myocardial Infarction; Prospective Studies; Risk; Sweden

Topics: Aged; Ascorbic Acid; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Female; Fibrinolysis; Fruit; Humans; Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis; Male; Middle Aged; Social Class; United Kingdom; Vegetables

Topics: Aged; Ascorbic Acid; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Diet; Female; Fruit; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Risk; Vegetables

Leucocyte ascorbate (LA) and serum ascorbate (SA) were measured in patients who had sustained an acute cerebrovascular accident. There was a significant fall in LA and Sa within 24 hours of the incident and this persisted for several weeks. The "stress" of the event resulted in a rise in serum cortisol concentration and depletion of both pituitary and adrenal glands of ascorbate when examined at post mortem. Serum fibrinogen concentrations also rose above normal. The role of ascorbate in pituitary and adrenal function and the relation of ascorbate to acute and chronic vascular disorders has still to be established.

Topics: Adrenal Glands; Aged; Ascorbic Acid; Brain Chemistry; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Female; Fibrinogen; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Leukocyte Count; Leukocytes; Male; Middle Aged; Pituitary Gland

Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Adult; Aged; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Ascorbic Acid; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Child; Chorioretinitis; Edema; Female; Humans; Ketones; Male; Middle Aged; Retinal Artery; Retinal Degeneration; Retinal Diseases; Retinal Vessels; Rutin; Vitamin B Complex; Xanthines

Topics: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; Ascorbic Acid; Brain Neoplasms; Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Humans; Methods; Nucleic Acids; Spectrophotometry; Ultraviolet Rays

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Humans

Topics: Arteriosclerosis; Ascorbic Acid; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Drug Combinations; Folic Acid; Minerals; Procaine; Vitamin B Complex; Vitamins

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Flavonoids; Nutrition Therapy; Stroke; Vitamins

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cardiovascular System; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Humans; Peripheral Vascular Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Vitamin D; Vitamins