Vitamin C is the main water-soluble antioxidant in human plasma and is hypothesized to have a protective role in the development of atherosclerotic heart disease by inhibiting low-density lipoprotein oxidation. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein has been identified in atheroscle-rotic lesions and may be atherogenic in the vessel wall through several mechanisms. In vitro, some studies have demonstrated a significant reduction in the oxidizability of low-density lipoprotein taken from the plasma of humans supplemented with vitamin C alone or in combination with vitamin E or beta-carotene.
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