Vitamin C article for information only

[Guest guest]

The following article was published by Reuters today. I provide it for your

perusal and as information only.

rQn I

Vitamin C May Worsen Arthritis, Study Finds

Fri Jun 4, 2004 08:56 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - High doses of vitamin C may worsen arthritis, at least in

guinea pigs, U.S. researchers reported on Friday.

The finding by a team at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina

contradicts previous studies that suggested large doses of the vitamin may

protect against osteoarthritis.

Dr. Virginia Kraus, an associate professor of medicine who led the study

said the vitamin may help prevent the chemical reactions that cause damage in

the short term, but become damaging in the long term.

" It's possible that brief exposure to high levels of vitamin C offers

antioxidant effects with a minimum of side effects, while prolonged exposure

results in deleterious effects, " said Kraus.

Writing in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, her team said guinea pigs

given high doses of vitamin C for eight months had more symptoms of arthritis

than animals fed low or moderate doses.

Looking at the bony spurs in the animals' knees, the researchers found a

protein that leads to spur formation could be activated by vitamin C.

One obvious next step will be a study of human populations to see if

people who take high doses of vitamin C also experience more arthritis. In the

meantime, people may consider avoiding long-term high doses, Kraus suggested.

Recommended intakes of C for men is 90 milligrams per day and for women is

75 milligrams per day. A diet that includes five servings of fruits and

vegetables a day should supply about 200 milligrams per day of vitamin C.

Some supplements contain 500 milligrams of C.