Vitamin C and Gout: Natural Remedy to Prevent Gout?
A large prospective study has found that higher Vitamin C intake is associated with a decreased risk for gout. The study found that for every 500 mg of Vitamin C, the risk of gout was reduced by 17%. Those who took up to 1500 mg of Vitamin C were found to have a 45% lower risk of gout than those who took 250 mg. Vitamin C reduces uric acid levels which is responsible for gout attacks.
The medical research team led by Hyon Choi, MD, who has led numerous studies on gout, looked at the intake of Vitamin C compared with the number of new cases of gout in 46,994 men, following them over a 20 year period. The results were published in the March 2009 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Vitamin C is believed to have a uricosuric effect, that is, it works by increasing the excretion of uric acid in urine. High uric acid levels is felt to contribute to gout although not everyone with high uric acid develops gout. One small study conducted in 2005 at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, enlisted 184 men in a double blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial showed that Vitamin C supplements of 500 mg for 2 months, significantly reduced uric acid levels and therefore might be beneficial in the prevention of gout.
The bottom line is that taking Vitamin C in doses up to 1500 mg/day may help prevent gout attacks.
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