Vitamin C and Smoking

What does smoking do to Vitamin C? Now make the connections to smokers and strokes and heart attacks. 

In the standard model that elevated cholesterol leads to atherosclerosis (and heart attacks and stroke), then vitamin C certainly has a beneficial impact as 500 mg/d of vitamin C daily can result in a significant decrease in serum LDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations (1). Smoker preferences for reduced citrus intake in addition to smoking itself causing reduced seurm Vitamin C creates a risk of severe Hypovitaminosis for C vitamin (2). In turns, vitamin C effect on LDL levels is associated with higher atheroslcerotic risks. 

Sources:

(1) McRae, M.P., 2008. Vitamin C supplementation lowers serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides: a meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials. J Chiropr Med 7, 48–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcme.2008.01.002 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

(2) Schectman, G., Byrd, J.C., Gruchow, H.W., 1989. The influence of smoking on vitamin C status in adults. Am J Public Health 79, 158–162.