Ischaemic heart disease and aged patients: effects of ascorbic acid on lipoproteins.

Aged men and women with ischaemic heart disease had higher total triglyceride levels than controls, and also lower mean percentage cholesterol levels in the high-density lipoprotein fraction. Subnormal levels of leucocyte ascorbic acid were found in 15/25 patients. In men, but not in women, the initial leucocyte ascorbic acid levels were correlated positively with HDL-cholesterol concentrations. After six weeks treatment with ascorbic acid, the mean HDL-cholesterol concentration had increased not only in all men, but also in those women with IHD. Furthermore, total serum cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrations were reduced in men with IHD, but triglyceride levels were not significantly changed; whereas in women with IHD both total serum and VLDL-triglycerides were reduced. Ascorbic acid deficiency appears to contribute to disorders of lipoprotein metabolism in the aged. Latent ascorbic acid deficiency may be one of several preventable 'risk' factors contributing to the present epidemic of IHD in the western world.

Aged men and ischaemic heart disease: serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Fasting serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and lipoprotein electrophoretic patterns have been investigated in 42 men aged 67-92 years (mean 79 years). Although all the cholesterol and the majority of the triglyceride levels were within the normal range for younger people, both were significantly greater (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01 respectively) in old men who had a clinical history of ischaemic heart disease than in the aged controls, whereas, in patients with dysrhythmia-ischaemia the cholesterol levels were raised (P < 0.05) but not the triglycerides. An abnormality of liporpotein profile was observed in 58% of patients with ischaemic heart disease; 7% of the controls; and 20% of patients having myocardial ischaemia associated with supraventricular dysrhythmia.