Antioxidants May Improve Elasticity of Arteries

Shargorodsky M et al., “Effect of long-term treatment with antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 and selenium) on arterial compliance, humoral factors, and inflammatory markers in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors,” Nutrition & Metabolism, vol. 7, no. 55 (July 2010).

In this study, researchers evaluated the antioxidant effects of prolonged supplementation with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), selenium, and vitamins C and E on arterial elasticity, inflammatory, and metabolic measures in patients deemed as having multiple cardiovascular risk factors.

The randomized, placebo-controlled trial was performed over six months on 70 patients with at least two cardiovascular risk factors. (Risk factors were defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program’s risk factor categories, which include hypertension, diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, low levels of high-density lipoprotein, and cigarette smoking.)

Subjects were divided into two groups. One group orally supplemented with two capsules per day containing 500 mg of vitamin C, 200 IU of vitamin E, 60 mg of CoQ10, and 100 mcg of selenium.

The researchers determined that the antioxidants significantly increased large and small artery elasticity. Other benefits included an improvement in glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as a decrease in blood pressure.