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Plasma vitamin C, but not vitamin E, is associated with reduced risk of heart failure in older men

Sasiwarang Goya Wannamethee1, Karl Richard Bruckdorfer, Andrew Gerald Shaper

  • 1Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, UK. g.wannamethee@ucl.ac.uk

Circulation. Heart Failure
|June 5, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Higher plasma vitamin C levels are linked to a lower risk of heart failure (HF) in older men. Conversely, high dietary vitamin E intake may increase HF risk, suggesting a need for further research into vitamin C supplementation for elderly populations.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Nutritional Science
  • Geriatrics

Background:

  • Oxidative stress is a known factor in heart failure (HF) development.
  • Limited data exist on antioxidant levels and intake in relation to incident HF in older adults.
  • This study investigates the link between plasma and dietary vitamins C and E and the risk of developing HF.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the prospective association between plasma vitamin C and E levels, and dietary intakes of these vitamins, with the risk of incident heart failure (HF) in older men.
  • To determine if these associations differ in men with or without a history of myocardial infarction.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective study involving 3919 men aged 60-79 years without prevalent HF.
  • Follow-up for a mean of 11 years, during which 263 incident HF cases were recorded.
  • Statistical analysis adjusted for lifestyle factors, comorbidities, and cardiovascular risk markers.

Main Results:

  • Higher plasma vitamin C levels were significantly associated with a reduced risk of incident HF in both men with and without prior myocardial infarction (HR [95% CI] 0.81 [0.70, 0.93] and 0.75 [0.59, 0.97] per SD increase, respectively).
  • Plasma vitamin E and dietary vitamin C intake showed no significant association with HF risk.
  • High dietary vitamin E intake was associated with an increased risk of HF in men without prior myocardial infarction (adjusted HR [95% CI] 1.23 [1.06, 1.42] per SD increase).

Conclusions:

  • Elevated plasma vitamin C is linked to a lower risk of heart failure in older men, irrespective of myocardial infarction history.
  • High dietary intake of vitamin E may be associated with an increased risk of heart failure.
  • Further clinical trials are warranted to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin C supplementation in reducing HF risk among the elderly.
Abstract

Keywords:
ascorbic acidheart failurevitamin E

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