People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have trouble breathing and tire easily, especially when they exercise. A new study suggests that some of the muscular fatigue may be due to oxidative stress. Researchers administered intravenous vitamin C to combat this metabolic problem. Patients were tested on a knee extension exercise machine after an injection of either vitamin C or saline as a control. The antioxidant vitamin infusion led to substantially less fatigue in muscles and improved breathing in the COPD patients. It also improved circulation and reduced blood pressure. The authors conclude that in this pilot study vitamin C was beneficial against the muscle fatigue seen after exercise in COPD patients.
[American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Nov. 2013]
People who have asthma, or who may have asthma along with COPD, may be interested in the new book, A Cure for Asthma? What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You–and Why, by Dr. David Hahn. It is a fascinating, evidence-based glimpse of a completely different way to think about some breathing difficulties.
