Daily dose of vitamin C can slash your risk of heart attacks

The vitamin, found in vegetables as well as in fresh citrus fruit and available as a common supplement pill, appears to strengthen blood vessels, US experts say.

Poor blood circulation is associated with heart attacks, strokes and blindness.

Dr James May, from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, says the research team believes vitamin C could also be a valuable tool in the fight against diabetes which is caused by insulin problems.

Blood vessels play an important role in transporting glucose and insulin to key organs.

Dr May said his data highlighted how vitamin C helped blood flow so it is distributed to meet the demands of different tissues.

The study, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, focused on the endothelium, a thin layer of simple cells that line the interior surface of our circulatory system which is weakened by inflammation.