High-Dose Vitamin C Tied to Increased Cataracts Risk in Women

Taking high-dose vitamin C dietary supplements may boost women’s chances of developing age-related cataracts, a new Swedish study suggests.

The study from researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm said in some cases, women taking the tablets were at least 25 percent more likely to have age-related cataracts than women who did not take the supplements, according to a Reuters news report.

The study findings appear in the latest issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study focused on about 24,600 women who were followed for longer than eight years. Women who used vitamin C supplements of about 1000 milligrams regularly or occasionally were at increased risk of suffering the eye condition, the researchers said.

Women who took the extra vitamin C for 10 years or longer, were 65 years or older, or were also taking hormone replacement or corticosteroid drugs were at even greater risks, the study found.
Keep Eating Those Fruits and Veggies

So that’s the bad news. But the good news is, the study suggests the increased cataracts risk is only associated with vitamin C from dietary supplements, not that derived from fruits and vegetables. Previous studies have found similar links between high-dose vitamin C supplements and increased cataracts risk.

Millions of women take vitamin C supplements to fight against colds and other infections and for other health benefits. However, the new Swedish study suggests curtailing the use may be a good idea.

Older Women At Greatest Risk

In the study group, 59 percent of the 49 to 83 year old otherwise healthy women said they used some sort of dietary supplement. Of these women, five percent said they only took vitamin C supplements and nine percent said they took only multivitamins that contained about 60 milligrams of vitamin C, according to Reuters.

Of the 1,225 women who took only vitamin C supplements, 143 (about 13 percent) had cataracts removed during the study period. In contrast, cataracts were removed in 878 of 9,974 women who did not use any supplements (roughly nine percent) and in 252 of 2,259 multivitamin-only users (about 11 percent).



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Vitamin C may promote age-related cataract in women

Women who use high doses of vitamin C supplements may be at higher risk of age-related cataract, according to a new study in the Nov 18, 2009 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Women who used vitamin C supplements were 25 percent more likely than those who did not use to experience cataract exaction, the study found.

Early animal studies have shown adverse effects of high doses of vitamin C supplements on age-related cataract.

For the study, Rautiainen S and colleagues from Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and other organizations followed 24,593 women aged 49 to 83 who participated in the Swedish Mammography Cohort between September 1997 and October 2005.

The participants were surveyed for their lifestyle via a self-administered questionnaire and incidence of cataract in the study population was recorded. During the 8.2-year follow-up, 2497 cataract extraction cases were identified.

Women who used vitamin C supplements for more than 10 years were 46 percent more likely than nonusers to have cataract extraction.

Compared with women who did not use vitamin C, The risk was increased by 56 percent in women who used both hormone replacement therapy and vitamin C supplements and increased by 97 percent in those who used supplements and corticosteroid.

The researchers conclude "Our results indicate that the use of vitamin C supplements may be associated with higher risk of age-related cataract among women."

Vitamin C is found high in fruit and vegetables. It has been known for many health benefits.



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Health tip of the day: Benefits of bell pepper

Bell peppers are packed with several nutrients. They are a good source of vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6, beta carotene, and folic acid. Bell peppers also contain a large amount of phytochemicals that have exceptional antioxidant activity. Those phytochemicals include chlorogenic acid, zeaxanthin, and coumeric acid.

When comparing the nutrient values of the different bell peppers, studies have shown that red bell peppers have significantly higher levels of nutrients than green. Red bell peppers also contain lycopene, which is a carotene that helps to protect against cancer and heart disease.

Possibly due to their vitamin C and beta carotene content, bell peppers have been shown to be protective against cataracts. Just like other nutrient-dense vegetables, bell peppers contain many different powerful phytochemicals.

Bell peppers have also been shown to prevent blood clot formation and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes probably due to their content of substances such as vitamin C, capsaicin, and flavonoids. Although chili peppers contain a higher amount of those substances, bell peppers should still be promoted especially for individuals with elevated cholesterol levels.


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