The results of a 20-year-long study has been published in the March 9th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers followed over 45,000 men and assessed their vitamin C intake throughout the length of the study and found that for every 500 milligram increase in vitamin C consumption, men’s risk for gout appeared to decrease by 17 percent. Men in the study who took 1,500 mg per day had a 45 percent less risk of gout, compared to those who took less than 250 mg per day. The researchers conclude that “Given the general safety profile associated with vitamin C intake, particularly in the generally consumed ranges as in the present study…vitamin C intake may provide a useful option in the prevention of gout,”
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Tags: Add new tag, gout, men, vitamin, vitamin c
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
March 10th, 2009 at 10:10 am
I have been taking 300 mgs of Allopurinol for over twenty
years. In your opinion will taking the vitamin C help me
to at least reduce my dosage of Allopurinol. Been careful
not to eat foods with uric acids. Many thanks.
March 10th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Hi Norio, thanks for your comment. Based on the study it looks like vitamin C could potentially decrease the risk of getting gout. I’m not sure if it can decrease the chances of a gouty attack. Perhaps speaking to your physician who knows your entire medical history may help you to start a plan to try the vitamin C to see if it will decrease your gout attacks.