Doctors wanted to test for a link between vitamin C levels and signs of inflammation. Compared to those who got the most vitamin C, those with heart failure who got the least vitamin C were 2.4 times more likely to have high levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a sign of inflammation and a factor in heart disease.
Doctors found that as the level of vitamin C increased, the level of hs-CRP decreased, and after a year of follow-up, those with the highest levels of vitamin C lived longer without a cardiac event.