Effects of vitamin c supplementation on the glycemic control and cardiovascular risk in type ii diabetes mellitus

Abstract

The oral hypoglycaemic agents as well as injectable insulin does not significantly alter the oxidative stress in the diabetes mellitus patients. Being an antioxidant Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) might help in tackling the adversities of reactive oxygen species. A randomized placebo controlled study was carried out with parallel assignment of both the test group and control group of patients. The intervention model included metformin 500mg twice daily and a placebo once daily for control group. Alternatively, Vitamin C chewable tablets were given for the other group along with metformin 500mg twice daily. Our study postulates that there is a significant reduction in the fasting blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin levels, troponin T levels and Framingham risk score in participants who received ascorbic acid supplementation along with regular metformin. The supplementation of Vitamin C along with Metformin was well tolerated and did not cause any serious adverse drug reactions. The cheaper cost adjuvant approach with Vitamin C may be beneficial in patients in reducing the cardiovascular risk as well as to maintain an appropriate glycaemic control.