An inverse relationship between serum vitamin C and blood pressure in a Japanese community

To examine the relationship between serum vitamin C concentration and blood pressure level, a cross-sectional study was conducted. The subjects were 919 men and 1,266 women aged 40 years and over in a Japanese provincial city, Shibata, Niigata Prefecture. The mean and standard deviation of systolic blood pressure (SBP) were 134.0 +/- 20.0 mmHg for men and 128.3 +/- 20.8 mmHg for women, and those of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 81.0 +/- 11.7 mmHg and 75.8 +/- 11.4 mmHg, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of serum vitamin C were 42.5 +/- 18.6 mumol/L for men and 56.8 +/- 16.5 mumol/L for women. SBP and DBP were both inversely correlated with serum vitamin C concentration. The means of SBP or DBP were calculated for quartiles of serum vitamin C, and the significant inverse relationship was observed in any sex and age group. The inverse association persisted after adjustment for possible confounders: body mass index, serum total cholesterol, alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity, antihypertensive medication, and dietary intake of salt, calcium, and potassium. Serum vitamin C appeared to be inversely related with both SBP and DBP in this Japanese population, although further intervention and experimental studies were required to establish the cause-effect relationship.