Vitamin D has long been known to reduce the risk of bone loss that results from osteoporosis, which is one reason it is used to fortify milk. But new research by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine suggests vitamin C may also prevent bone loss.
The study, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS One, showed for the first time that vitamin C actively protects against osteoporosis, which makes bones more brittle and vulnerable to fracture.
"This study has profound public health implications, and is well worth exploring for its therapeutic potential in people," said lead researcher Dr. Mone Zaidi, director of the Mount Sinai Bone Program.
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"The medical world has known for some time that low amounts of vitamin C can cause scurvy and brittle bones, and that higher vitamin C intake is associated with higher bone mass in humans," said Zaidi. "What this study shows is that large doses of vitamin C, when ingested orally by mice, actively stimulate bone formation to protect the skeleton. It does this by inducing osteoblasts, or premature bone cells, to differentiate into mature, mineralizing specialty cells."
To reach their conclusions, researchers tested the effects of high doses of vitamin C on mice with reduced bone density, and compared them to others that did not receive supplements. The results showed mice with low vitamin C levels had a much lower bone mineral density than those receiving large doses of vitamin C.
"Further research may discover that dietary supplements may help prevent osteoporosis in humans," said Zaidi. "If so, the findings could be ultimately useful to developing nations where osteoporosis is prevalent and standard medications are sparse and expensive."
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