Babs,
Please check your ratio as Fran said, this is perhaps more important. Also, what is your homocysteine levels. These should have been reported as well and are probably more important in the diagnosis of CHD.
Please see the following post I submitted when talking to PC about Lipid Peroxidation, it describes the process of removing plaque from the arteries and the importance of Vitamin C in this process.
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Author: J. Pisano (---.zoominternet.net)
Date: 11-10-03 14:01
PC,
Here is my understanding of Vitamin C and it's realtionship to CAD, other than it's known ability as an antioxident.
Vitamin C has been shown to add strength to artery walls. A lack of Vitamin C has shown to cause weakness in the artery walls, and in some very bad causes lead to scurvy (which is a leaky artery wall). Apoprotein then develops to effect a repair of the artery wall. Then the aproproten combines with fat/protein (lipoproteiins) to maintain the artery wall integrity.
High levels of lipoprotein A (aproprotein + lipoprotein) are good predictors of heart disease. The Lack of vitamin C plus excess levels of cholesterol and triglycerides causes severe arterial blockage.
Intake of Vitamin C encourages HDL carriers to remove the execess of triglycerides and cholesterol plus liprotein A levels will start to diminish. Continuing to supplement with Vitamin C will restore the integrity of the artery walls.
In a nutshell, that's a major component of Pauling's research, he also notes that the combination of Vitamin C and Lysine may very well prevent atheroschlerosis and reverse it as well.
Dr. McCully, proposed that high levels of homocysteine were the initial ravagers of the artery walls in 1969. This amino needs B6,B12 and Folic acid to be converted into more user friendly aminos such as the cysteines and others. Without it, homocysteine will acculumlate into toxicity with which it will cause this artery walls to start becoming damaged.
Some recent studies which confirm homocysteine to be a culprit in CAD are:
Shelub J. et al. Association between plasma homocysteine concentrations
and extracranial carotid artery stenosis. New England Journal of
Medicine 1995: 332(5): 286-291.
Graham I et al. Plasma homocysteine a risk factor for vascular disease,
JAMA 1997;277 (22): 1775-17891.