Lee Swanson Research Update

Antioxidant Supplements Boost Heart Health in Children

November 2003

Antioxidant supplementation may protect children from heart disease according to a study that appeared in a recent issue of Circulation.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco enrolled 15 children for the study. The children exhibited either familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) or familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCH).

Familial hypercholesterolemia is an inherited condition that results in markedly elevated LDL cholesterol levels beginning at birth and resulting in heart attacks at an early age. People affected with FH have consistently high levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), which leads to premature atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. Familial combined hyperlipidemia is an inherited disorder of high serum cholesterol or high blood triglycerides. People with this condition have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The youngsters were placed on a cholesterol-lowering dietary regimen. They were also randomly assigned to antioxidant treatment with 500 mg of vitamin C and 400 IU of vitamin E for six months or they were given a placebo.

Researchers checked blood flow in the brachial artery of the children and found a marked improvement following the antioxidant and dietary regimen. The study concluded that "antioxidant therapy with vitamins C and E restores endothelial function in hyperlipidimic children. Early detection and treatment of endothelial dysfunction in high-risk children may retard the progression of atherosclerosis."

Circulation 108:1059, 2003

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