VITAMIN C has long been touted for its health-boosting benefits, but new research has found it goes one step further — it can help you live longer.

    A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who ate more fruits and vegetables have a 15 percent lower risk of developing heart disease and 20 percent lower risk of early death. Those with the highest concentrations in their blood of vitamin C were the least likely to develop heart disease or die prematurely.

    The study looked at previously collected health data of 100,000 people in Denmark, which included their food intake, as well as their DNA.

    Study author Borge Nordestgaard, a professor of clinical medicine at the University of Copenhagen, says that the connection may have something to do with vitamin C’s antioxidant effects, which protect our cells from damage that can cause many diseases.

    The link may also be due to vitamin C’s ability to maintain connective tissues that support and connect the organs in our bodies, he says.

    Registered dietitian nutritionist Beth Warren, author of “Living a Real Life with Real Food,” isn’t shocked that more vitamin C may help us live longer since the vitamin helps protect us from oxidative damage and regenerate other antioxidants in our bodies such as vitamin E.

    Vitamin C does a host of things for our bodies, Warren says, including help with wound healing, collagen production, blood vessel maintenance, and even our moods. Apart from citrus fruits and their juices, red and green peppers, kiwi, broccoli, strawberries, cantaloupe, baked potatoes, and tomatoes are also good sources of the vitamin.(SD-Agencies)