Vitamin C foe - Health & Medicine - Brief Article

A new British study shows vitamin C can reduce the risk of heart disease and other illnesses, while another study found that children exposed to passive smoking in the home have lower levels of vitamin C in their bloodstream.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine have determined that vitamin C, an antioxidant that removes free radicals from the body, can reduce in half the risk of death in healthy adults. However, tobacco smoke may destroy vitamin C levels in the body. A study of children exposed to passive smoking, conducted at the University of Medicine of New Jersey in New Brunswick, New Jersey, indicated that high levels of free radicals in tobacco smoke are believed to be responsible for decreased levels of vitamin C in smokers and children who are subjected to passive smoke in their homes. The study conducted on almost 3,000 children and teenagers, ages 4 to 18, showed that children of smokers averaged 20 percent lower vitamin C levels than children of non-smokers. According to USA Today, approximately 22 percent of children and teenagers are exposed to passive smoke in their homes.

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