Vitamin C linked to kidney stones: study
Men who take vitamin C supplements run a higher risk of developing kidney stones, according to a new Swedish study, with researchers suggesting that the "wisest thing might be not to take them at all."
The study, carried out at Stockholm's Karolinska Institue and published in the JAMA Internal Medicine scientific periodical, points to a clear link between vitamin C supplements and kidney stones.
"As with all research, the results should be corroborated by other studies for us to be really sure," study leader Agneta Åkesson, Associate Professor at the Karolinska Institute's Institute of Environmental Medicine, said in a statement.
"Nor can we say anything about whether women run the same risk as men. But given that there are no well-documented benefits of taking high doses of vitamin C in the form of dietary supplements, the wisest thing might be not to take them at all, especially if you have suffered kidney stones previously."
The study was carried out over eleven years and focused on over 23,000 men living in the Västmanland and Örebro counties who had no history of kidney stones. The men either took no dietary supplements or only vitamin C.
Over that time period, 436 men developed kidney stones that required medical attention.
The study indicates that men who take vitamin C supplements are twice as likely to develop kidney stones as men who do not take any dietary supplements at all.
The study was made possible by a grant from the Swedish Research Council.
The Local/og
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The study, carried out at Stockholm's Karolinska Institue and published in the JAMA Internal Medicine scientific periodical, points to a clear link between vitamin C supplements and kidney stones.
"As with all research, the results should be corroborated by other studies for us to be really sure," study leader Agneta Åkesson, Associate Professor at the Karolinska Institute's Institute of Environmental Medicine, said in a statement.
"Nor can we say anything about whether women run the same risk as men. But given that there are no well-documented benefits of taking high doses of vitamin C in the form of dietary supplements, the wisest thing might be not to take them at all, especially if you have suffered kidney stones previously."
The study was carried out over eleven years and focused on over 23,000 men living in the Västmanland and Örebro counties who had no history of kidney stones. The men either took no dietary supplements or only vitamin C.
Over that time period, 436 men developed kidney stones that required medical attention.
The study indicates that men who take vitamin C supplements are twice as likely to develop kidney stones as men who do not take any dietary supplements at all.
The study was made possible by a grant from the Swedish Research Council.
The Local/og
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