Vitamin and Supplement Studies (4 min.)

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CRP is an acronym for C-reactive protein, which is a protein produced by the liver and found in the blood. CRP is a marker for systemic inflammation, which may occur due to injury, infection, or fever. Because elevated CRP levels are associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, we sought to determine whether multivitamin supplementation with Cooper Complete® reduces CRP levels in our Vitamin and Supplement Study.

Researchers at The Cooper Institute measured the effects of six vitamins, namely C, E, B6, B12, folate, and beta carotene, within a 24-ingredient multivitamin/mineral formula (Cooper Complete Original Iron Free) and found both vitamin B6 and vitamin C significantly reduced CRP levels compared with those participants who took a placebo. More specifically, they found following multivitamin supplementation, the prevalence of patients with a high-risk C-reactive protein level (>3.0 mg/L) reduced from 30 percent to 14 percent. The average change in the patient’s CRP levels over the course of six months was 0.70 mg/L. The greatest reduction in CRP levels was seen in patients who initially had elevated CRP levels. As such, the use of a commercially available multivitamin was found to significantly reduce C-reactive protein levels.

We demonstrated two further benefits from six months of multivitamin supplementation. First, we showed that six months of supplementation significantly increased plasma vitamin levels, namely vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin E, folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, as further evidenced below.

Second, we found a significant reduction in LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein, “bad cholesterol”) oxidation and in homocysteine levels which are risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. To this end, we found a 14.6 percent reduction in LDL oxidation rate, which may be attributed to vitamin E, vitamin C, and lycopene. A reduction in LDL oxidation rate is significant because oxidation, or the addition of oxygen to low-density lipoproteins, contributes to atherosclerosis and may ultimately lead to further progression of heart disease.

Further, we found a 17.2 percent reduction in circulating homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is an amino acid found in the blood, and elevated levels are linked to heart disease, atherosclerosis (“hardening” of the arteries), stroke, colon cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. It has been shown that homocysteine levels are strongly influenced by dietary intake and genetic factors, and through our research, we found that a multi-ingredient vitamin formula, which particularly includes folic acid and vitamin B12, favorably influences homocysteine levels in the blood.

The findings in our Vitamin and Supplement Study show the favorable effects on homocysteine and CRP levels in the blood as well as the anti-oxidant properties of complex multivitamin supplementation.

Article provided by Cooper Complete team.

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