In a 1992 UCLA report it was announced that men who took 800 mg a day of vitamin C lived six years longer than those who consumed the FDA's recommended daily allowance of only 60 mg a day. The study, which evaluated 11,348 participants over a ten year period of time, showed that high vitamin C intake extended average life span and reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease by 42%. (Published in the journal Epidemiology, 1992; 3:3, pp 194-202).
In another study involving 11,178 participants (published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August 1996) those who took vitamin C and E supplements combined experienced a 42% reduction in overall mortality.