(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Vitamin C could help relieve some of the muscle pain caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Researchers at the University of Utah treated patients with COPD with either a vitamin C or saline solution IV, before having them exercise.  They found those patients treated with vitamin C not only breathed easier during exercise, but experienced less muscle fatigue, a common side-effect of the disease.  The results point to the importance of antioxidants as a potential treatment.

“Targeting oxidative stress with some form of antioxidant therapy in a clinical setting may represent an important therapeutic avenue for patients with COPD,” researchers were quoted as saying.

For more information, go to: http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/ajpregu/early/2013/09/20/ajpregu.00360.2013.full.pdf

SOURCE: American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, November 2013

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