Vitamin C could reduce risk of stroke

Eating foods that contain vitamin C, such as oranges, papaya, peppers, broccoli and strawberries, may reduce your risk of stroke, a new study has found.

The study, to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 's annual meeting in Philadelphia later this year, involved 65 people who had experienced an intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke, or a blood vessel rupture inside the brain, as well as 65 healthy people.

Participants were tested for the levels of vitamin C in their blood in order to investigate the relationship between the vitamin and hemorrhagic stroke, which is less common than ischemic stroke, but is more often deadly.

Overall, 41 percent of participants had normal levels of vitamin C, 45 percent showed depleted levels of vitamin C and 14 percent were considered deficient of the vitamin.

On average, people who had a stroke had depleted levels of vitamin C, while those who had not had a stroke had normal levels of the vitamin, the researchers said.

"Our results show that vitamin C deficiency should be considered a risk factor for this severe type of stroke, as were high blood pressure, drinking alcohol and being overweight in our study," said study author Stephane Vannier of Pontchaillou University Hospital in Rennes, France, in a statement.

Vannier added that vitamin C appears to regulate blood pressure and also has other benefits like creating collagen, a protein found in bones, skin and tissues, but more research is needed.

Previous studies have found that vitamin C deficiency may be linked to heart disease.