Seems a dose of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is good for more than just fighting off coughs and colds. According to a report from the BBC, a new study has found that - in theory, at least - Vitamin C could reduce diabetes-related health complications. Vitamin C, said the University of Warwick-based researchers, was almost as effective as Telmisartan, a medication used to lower blood pressure.

Vitamin C packs a punch, they said, because it helps to clean up ("scavenge," in the words of lead researcher Antonio Ceriello) free radicals - molecules that cause tissue damage. This is of particular concern for diabetics because diabetics' bodies produce more free radicals than those of non-diabetics. This is why diabetics are especially likely to suffer from heart disease. It is also why diabetics are prone to tissue and nerve damage in the feet and legs - damage that all-too-often necessitates amputation.

The researchers also reported they were able to normalize free radical levels in patients with Type 1 diabetes using a course of insulin therapy followed by long-term treatment with Vitamin C or Telmisartan. And there's the rub: while Telmisartan is considered okay to take long-term, Vitamin C supplementation could in fact be dangerous if continued over time. Actually, the purpose of this study was not to look into treating diabetics with Vitamin C, but rather to investigate the workings of free radicals and methods for controlling free radical production. Sorry, folks. Things are never that easy.