Doctors Health Press Reports on Study: Vitamin C Supplements Increase Risk of Kidney Stones by 200%
Online, March 28, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Doctors Health Press, a division of Lombardi Publishing Corporation, and publisher of various natural health newsletters, books, and reports, including the popular online Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin, is reporting on a new study out of Sweden finding that men who take vitamin C supplements have a 200% greater risk of developing kidney stones.
As Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin (http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/food-and-nutrition-articles/why-vitamin-c-is-linked-to-kidney-stones) notes, Swedish researchers have discovered that taking too much of vitamin C may contribute to kidney stones; and in fact, most people get enough of this vitamin every day from their diets.
As the article "Why Vitamin C Is Linked to Kidney Stones?" reports, in a large study, comprising over 23,000 male participants, the researchers found a link between kidney stones and taking 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C supplements every day. This link did not exist for multivitamins (which contain smaller amounts of vitamin C), but only for vitamin C supplements in particular.
The Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin article states that about 436 of the 23,355 men in the study developed kidney stones bad enough to require a doctor. When the researchers analyzed the numbers, they found that men who routinely take vitamin C supplements (perhaps those who know their diet isn't good, or who want to prevent a cold) had a 200% greater risk of kidney stones than men who didn't take any supplements.
As the article explains, these stones form because the urine contains high levels of calcium, phosphorus, or oxalate. At low levels, these common minerals are fine, but at high levels they can crystallize. A person may not even notice really small stones, which can pass through the urinary tract on their own. However, larger kidney stones can cause significant pain and even block the flow of urine entirely.
Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin reports that what's really interesting is that researchers only found a link between taking vitamin C supplements and kidney stones, and not between eating foods rich in vitamin C and kidney stones. The article advises readers to eat a wide range of fruit and vegetables containing vitamin C to negate the need to take supplements at all, as the recommended intake of vitamin C is generally far lower than the high amounts found in supplements.
(SOURCE: Thomas, Leal., "Ascorbic Acid Supplements and Kidney Stone Incidence Among Men: A Prospective Study," JAMA Internal Medicine; published online February 4, 2013.)
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