Vitamin C for POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)

In a recent newsletter I talked about POTS, which has symptoms like low blood pressure and dizziness upon standing, and the fact that most people with POTS also have CFS. A new and interesting study now shows that vitamin C can help support healthy blood pressure in people with POTS.

Researchers at the Center for Hypotension at New York Medical College studied 19 people with POTS, giving 11 of them vitamin C. Those receiving the vitamin had a 44% improvement in heart function and better blood flow, compared to the non-vitamin C group. In other words, vitamin C helped the heart to pump more efficiently, getting more blood throughout the body, and also helped the arteries maintain better tone, keeping blood pressure from dropping (a common occurrence during exercise in CFS patients).

More evidence that good, old-fashioned nutritional support is crucial in people with CFS (I recommend a good multivitamin powder, one that provides 750 mg of vitamin C).

Reference

"Ascorbate improves circulation in postural tachycardia syndrome," Stewart JM, Ocon AJ, et al, Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, 2011 Sep;301(3): H10033-42.