Vitamin C possible role in aneurisms

Of the 3 major connective tissue proteins, collagen, elastin and fibrinogen, collagen is the most abundant protein. As we age the number of cross linkages between individual collagen fibres increases resulting in wrinkles  and loss of elasticity in the skin. In bone it serves as the  scaffolding on which  calcium and other minerals are deposited to give bone its strength. A good example is the loss of trabeculae resulting
in  subsequent wedge fracture of the vertebrae. The  walls of  arterial vessels especially those of large ones like the aorta would suggest that the integrity of the  collagen fibres in them is of paramount importance to render them elastic  It has been postulated that free radicals (ROTS) increase the number of cross linkages, and that  Vitamin C and E, and minerals like zinc and selenium which are antioxidants and free radical scavengers neutralize these free radicals and thus reduce the number of cross linkages, rendering them elastic yet maintaining their tensile strength.

At our last SOUP (Sons of Ukrainian Pioneers ) meeting(Dec 11,2014) one of the members mentioned to me that on a recent medical check up  his doctor found an abdominal aneurism. The doctor after asking the patient's age, mentioned to him that he would not operate at this time the rationale being, that its current size and the age of the patient would suggest that he would likely die  from some other illness.

To me this is another example of the doctor treating the symptoms and not the cause of a disease.. I would suggest that the doctor might wish to investigate the nutritional status of his patients who have developing aneurisms as well as their oxidative stress  status of the free radicals.
In an earlier post I mentioned that vitamin C might play a role in reducing the symptoms of Ebola, as wells in patients with terminal cancer. It might also play a role in bone fractures-especially long bones and/or compression fractures of vertebrae. Maybe it could also play a role i he formation and progression of aortic aneurisms