Posted on 02/16/2013 11:50:50 PM PST by neverdem
Vitamin supplements are popular items these days. Vitamin C is particularly popular in the winter, when people pop tablets at the first sign of a cold. However, data indicates that vitamin C doesn't actually prevent colds, but long-term use may slightly reduce the severity or duration of a cold when you do catch one.
So, should we all start popping vitamin C tablets every day? Probably not. A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that men who took 1,000-mg tablets of vitamin C were twice as likely to develop kidney stones as men who did not take vitamin C supplements. (See chart below.) The effect was not observed for men who took multivitamins.
To determine relative risk (RR), the authors compared the rate of kidney stones in men who did not take vitamin supplements (163 per 100,000 person-years) to the rate of kidney stones in men who took vitamin C supplements (310 per 100,000 person-years). Dividing 310 by 163 gives a crude RR of 1.90, which in this case, is the same as the age-adjusted RR...
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearscience.com ...
I've been taking 5g a day of Vitamin C for years. I've never had a kidney stone. My brother does not. He gets kidney stones. QED.
In other words, there is NO statistical difference between NOT taking 1000MG of vitamin C or actually taking 1000MG vitamin C when it comes down to kidney stones in men. This is nothing less than DISinformation.
NO data about its obvious effectiveness in helping with the common cold...
Gee whiz, Wally, do you think there might be something ELSE going on?
Yup. Statistics, it takes a Feynmannian intellect (or a small bit of common sense) to spot the nonsense.
Total bullshit. I have been taking five grams a day for nearly forty years — ever since Dr Linus Pauling wrote his famous book and have never had a kidney stone. Or a cold. Or any other major disease.
Never heard this one before regarding Vit. C and kidney stones, however, I’d stay away from excessive amounts of Tums for heartburn. I used to take pretty many, and I did get a kidney stone; no more Tums for me.
kidney stones are due to diet, genetics, and how much liquid you drink.
This is anecdotal, not statistical. Maybe you generate kidney stones so often and excrete them while they are so small that you think you do not have them. I dunno. But since I have had kidney stones several times, and the last one was 9 mm long x ~6 mm diameter, and cost several thousands for the lithitripsy, I think I'm going to give the statistics in this article some thought more than your anecdotal conclusion. And I'm posting this to suggest that others do likewise.
Correlation is not Causation.
True, but it is unclear which or how many other supplements the researchers controlled for. Of the vitamin C users, 3.4 percent developed kidney stones for the first time during the study, compared to 1.8 percent of non-supplement users.
Obviously the vast majority of men taking it are not coming down with kidney stones. That doesn’t mean the findings are useless. I take 500 mg a day with an iron tablet and am going to ask about continuing at my next visit to the doctor.
Regular orange juice I thought was actually beneficial in preventing kidney stones, maybe it is only the ascorbic acid in tablet form or in high doses that presents problems for some folks ??
A few comments on Vit C intake: 99% of C is manufactured in China. I would eat nothing made in China. 2. Vit C is metabolized to oxalate which in combination with calcium forms calcium oxalate crystals, the basis of some forms of stones in humans. 3. Vit C is an antioxidant, having other health benefits. 4. Taking massive doses probably leads to an increase in stone incidence in susceptible people. 4. Massive doses of C are simply excreted in the urine, most unmetabolized. 5. Vit C’s effect on fighting the common cold is highly controversial and is probably of negligible benefit. 6. Vit C will prevent scurvy based on both experimental proof and 100% response rate in human clinical trials. In summary, pertaining to this study, Vit C most likely does lead to an increase incidence of kidney stones in susceptible populations of people.
Linus died of cancer.
Vit C kidney stone connection has been around for a few decades.
With that being said, I've read that baking soda will also help prevent and disolve existing kidney stones........
Give this man the cigar.
I will name them and raise them and homeschool and everything.
Good comment. If you are male, I would suggest you avoid the iron supplement.
The CDC reported recently that laboratory mice cause cancer.
Did they control for other factors? I know people who take vitamin C but it constitutes their only efforts at healthy eating.
I agree. 1,000-mg is quite alot.
Strange.... My physcian told me to take 3 Vit. C tablets a day to avoid UTI’s.
Strange.... My physcian told me to take 3 Vit. C tablets a day to avoid UTI’s.
Bottom line, it was my gall bladder which was the underlying cause of my heartburn and not the acid level in my stomach.
I am not going to die because I hate carrots and don’t eat them.
Watchout for that dangerous Vitamin C! Have radiation therapy, followed by 15 different medications to alleviate the side effects. Then when you develop anxiety and depression from all the toxins that don’t cure anything, we have some lhabit forming narcotics to alleviate those systems. If by chance you do survive, don’t eat vegetables that counteract the blood thinners. If by any chance your not left bes ridden, it would be unwise to go far because your swollen feet will be in extreme pain and/or the diuretics will keep you in the bathroom every 5 min. (Exactly what happened to my father and a cancer scare)
I read that the body cant use more than 250mg VitC at one time.
Therefore, I take a 1000 tab and break in thirds - to take thruout the day.
Yepper - their argument is like the already debunked bits about salt being a purveyor of high blood pressure and egss killing folks with cholesterol. They do a study or two that leaves out the vast majority of people and make assumptions that include same vast majority.
kidney stones are from magnesium deficiency; calcium can’t dissolve if you don’t get enough mag so it crystalizes.
By the way, Kidney stones are nothing to joke about. I had to have surgery to remove mine, which resulted in a second surgery to undo the damage from the first surgery. I had several follow up trips to the emergency room to be cathetered for the internal rip in my penis and then self cathetered myself for a year following surgery to prevent scar tissue from blocking my penis shut. Total nightmare scenario.
Agree. C is one nutrient you will die without and a nutrient the human body can't produce, unlike animals. Taking C causes kidney stones is bunk, but it will put lead in your pencil!
C actually improves kidney and other organ functions, including skin and the ability for your body to repair itself.
Tums, and all antacids, block your absorption of magnesium. Kidney stones are a sign of mag deficiency.
http://www.trunews.com/Audio/m3u/6_05_12_tuesday_trunews2.m3u
Another kidney stone veteran here.
First at age 20, presumed excess calcium because I was drinking alot of milk in college.
Second set, age 54. Presumed cause was vitamin pills or the binders of them. Also could have been protein related during the Adkins diet craze. Fortunately they did not cause blockage and had descended.
Third set age 59. I almost requested an emergency landing on a DEN-JFK flight. Almost certain the cause was from excess tea drinking as that was the only change in diet. Lithotripsy turned these to sand at the Denver kidney stone center and they passed freely.
After living for 93 years.
Data supporting the claim that "anti-oxidants" have health benefits is very weak. Data is now emerging that suggests that oxygen and oxygen radicals have health benefits and depleting oxygen radicals is not good.
I give it 3 years for the FDA to nuke all those "anti-oxidant" health claims.
You are more likely to get a kidney stone from taking calcium without at least half the portion of magnesium along side it.
Thank you! Vitamin C is the best vitamin supplement and the one with the least, if none, adverse reactions. Just the usual misinformation to try to curb vitamin use to keep you sick and on meds. The misinformants have realized the goyam are waking up to the benefits of this super nutrient.
I prefer the 1,000 mg powder stuff with zinc myself. High C!
My grandfather never took supplements and died at 96 from pneumonia. Genetics?
Baloney. Show me the reference. Vit C is used therapeutically to prevent some toxins from doing oxidative damage to RBCs.
An important note is that those who take Vitamin C have to take a lot, and often, because it is water soluble and is quickly eliminated from the body, too quickly for it to be substantially absorbed at the cellular level except after taking it for a long time. This also creates the additional problem of acid upset, so a buffered version of Vitamin C is sold.
However, the way around this problem completely is to convert your water soluble Vitamin C into fat soluble Vitamin C. It will be absorbed better and stay in your body longer. While you can buy it this way, OTC, it is far more expensive, so it is much better to make your own.
It is called “Liposomal encapsulated Vitamin C”.
Here is a video how to make your own:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeU—wadrMY
I’ve had an allergic reaction from taking too much Vit. C. Terrible itchy whelps across my entire torso.
Who knows? And what caused Linus Pauling's prostate cancer in his 90s?
No one has all the answers concerning what is beneficial or detrimental in the areas of health and nutrition. It will be many more decades before such questions are answered.
And anyone claiming to have definitive answers about much of anything should be viewed with great skepticism. Studies such as this prove nothing. The occurences of kidney stones are very small both among the groups using or not using vitamin C. And there are many other dietary factors that could have affected the outcome.
People just have to use their own judgment and instinct because these debates have many more decades to run.
Because of a cancer scare I take injectable vitamin c. Up to1cc daily. Not sure what it’s doing, but my skin looks great when take it. Absolutely no side effects.
“Nothing but your standard medical bullshit.”
I hate to tell you but at Thanksgiving I contracted that nasty little upper respiratory virus thats going around. I was taking mega doses of vitamin C everyday for about 5 weeks and voila’ got kidney stones. I immediately stopped taking the C and started taking magnesium everyday until I finally got rid of them. If you take a magnesium pill everyday supposedly you will not get the kidney stones. I have started the Vitamin C again and so far so good.
I know that.
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