New Study Links Vitamins to a Longer Life

Feeding on humankind’s endless quest for a longer, healthier life, the pro-pharma legacy media habitually plays down the idea of a link between higher blood levels of certain micronutrients and increased longevity. Instead, it seems, promised that the next ‘miracle drug’ is just around the corner, we’re encouraged to place our faith in pharmaceutical development. A new study published in the Redox Biology journal begs to differ, however, confirming that higher levels of vitamin C and other micronutrients could significantly lower the risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, and other major causes. Conducted by researchers from institutions across the United States and China, the study provides a timely reminder that in describing how micronutrient deficiencies are the primary cause of chronic diseases, Dr. Rath has been right all along.

The study taps into a goldmine of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), tracking 11,539 Americans aged over 40 in 2001-2006 and 2017-2018. With an average follow-up of 10.5 years, researchers looked at the participants’ blood levels of seven micronutrients – vitamin C, vitamin D, alpha-tocopherol (a form of vitamin E), beta-carotene, lycopene (a carotenoid), folate, and iron – in relation to their odds of survival. They discovered that blood levels of four of them (vitamin C, vitamin D, beta-carotene, and lycopene) were clearly associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Public health impact

The study authors say that this type of research has “tremendous public health impact as it is expected to provide innovative and practical approaches for preventing chronic diseases by dietary modifications.” As they also note, cancer and cardiovascular disease remain the leading causes of death among populations worldwide, sharing common proinflammatory risk factors such as poor diet, smoking, and obesity.

Inflammation is implicated in the development and progression of both cancer and cardiovascular disease, the researchers suggest, as evidenced by raised levels of biomarkers like C-reactive protein (CRP) – a protein produced by the liver that increases in response to inflammation in the body – and white blood cell count being linked to higher mortality rates. Given this connection, they propose that addressing dietary and lifestyle factors that contribute to chronic inflammation may help reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. The researchers further note that vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients are essential in modulating oxidative stress and inflammation, with previous research showing that vitamin C, vitamin D, and others may lower CRP levels.

The future of healthcare

The researchers say that theirs is one of the first epidemiological studies to identify inflammatory biomarkers as mediators of micronutrient-mortality associations. Its findings, they conclude, confirm that optimizing micronutrient intake could be a viable strategy for reducing inflammation and lowering mortality risk from chronic diseases. With other recent evidence showing that vitamin D has a protective effect against breast cancer, and that high intakes of vitamin C are associated with a lower risk of brain cancer, it’s clear that nutritional and Cellular Medicine approaches are increasingly pointing the way towards the future of healthcare.

Speaking in 1997 at an event in Chemnitz, Germany, Dr. Rath stated: “Heart attack and stroke are not true diseases, they are the consequences of chronic vitamin deficiency – and as such are preventable.” By linking high levels of vitamin C to a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, the Redox Biology study provides still further evidence that he was right.