Vitamin C intake linked with lower risk of gout

Men with higher vitamin C intake are less likely to develop gout, research shows.

In a study published in Archives of Internal Medicine scientists looked at the relationship between vitamin C intake and gout, the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in men.

As part of the research, males completed a dietary questionnaire and every two years, participants reported whether they had been diagnosed with or developed symptoms of the condition.

Compared with men who had a vitamin C intake of less than 250 milligrams per day, the relative risk of gout was 17 per cent lower for those with a daily intake of 500 to 999 milligrams.

The danger of the illness was 34 per cent lower for those with an intake of 1,000 to 1,499 milligrams of vitamin C per day and 45 per cent less for those with an intake of 1,500 milligrams per day or higher.

The authors explain how vitamin C appears to reduce levels of uric acid in the blood which can form crystal deposits in and around joints, leading to the pain, inflammation and swelling associated with gout.