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Can taking vitamins C and E raise blood pressure?

By Shereen Jegtvig, About.com

Updated February 13, 2008

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

High dose vitamin therapy should only be done under the supervision of a trained health professional.

High dose vitamin therapy should only be done under the supervision of a trained health professional.

Photo © Naama y.m.
Question: Can taking vitamins C and E raise blood pressure?
I just started taking vitamins C and E. About three days after I started taking them I noticed that my blood pressure was higher than normal. Can these two vitamins cause high blood pressure?

Ruben - About.com User

Answer: There are studies showing that vitamin E may help to lower blood pressure, however Vitamin E can actually cause a temporary increase in blood pressure if a person starts taking more than 400 IU per day.

Many people avoid this by taking smaller amounts of vitamin E and working up to the higher dose. Taking vitamin C may actually help to lower blood pressure.

Do not take large doses of vitamins other dietary supplements if you are taking any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Sources:
Schneider MP, Delles C, Schmidt BMW, Oehmer S, Schwarz TK, Schmieder RE, John S. "Superoxide Scavenging Effects of N-Acetylcysteine and Vitamin C in Subjects With Essential Hypertension." American Journal of Hypertension Volume 18, Issue 8 , August 2005, Pages 1111-1117

Vasdev S, Gill V, Parai S, Gadag V. "Dietary vitamin E supplementation attenuates hypertension in Dahl salt-sensitive rats." J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther. 2005 Jun;10(2):103-11.

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