Antioxidant vitamin C prevents decline in endothelial function during sitting

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Nutritional Science
• Oxidative Stress Research

Background:

• Prolonged sitting impairs endothelial function, a critical aspect of cardiovascular health.
• The role of oxidative stress in this impairment is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether antioxidant Vitamin C can prevent endothelial dysfunction induced by 3 hours of sitting.
• To explore the potential contribution of oxidative stress to sedentary behavior-induced vascular changes.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 11 healthy men.
• Participants underwent two 3-hour sitting trials: one without Vitamin C (SIT) and one with Vitamin C supplementation (VIT).
• Superficial femoral artery (SFA) flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was measured hourly to assess endothelial function.

Main Results:

• Three hours of sitting significantly reduced SFA FMD and shear rates.
• Vitamin C supplementation (VIT) significantly prevented the decline in SFA FMD at 1, 2, and 3 hours compared to the SIT trial.
• No significant differences in shear rates were observed between the SIT and VIT trials.

Conclusions:

• Three hours of sitting leads to impaired endothelial function in the superficial femoral artery.
• Antioxidant Vitamin C effectively prevented this impairment, indicating a role for oxidative stress.
• Vitamin C supplementation may be a viable strategy to mitigate the vascular effects of prolonged sitting.