Lee Swanson Research Update

Vitamin C May Protect against Inflammatory Polyarthritis

September 2004

polyarthritis

Researchers at the University of Manchester in England have found a connection between low intake of vitamin C and the risk of developing inflammatory polyarthritis (IP), a form of rheumatoid arthritis that involves two or more joints.

Interested in studying the association between the consumption of fruit, vegetables and dietary antioxidants and the risk of developing IP, researchers conducted a study of a group of men and women between the ages of 45 and 74.

The subjects were all free of arthritis at the beginning of the study. They kept seven-day diet diaries for the duration of the study. Researchers then analyzed the diaries of 73 subjects who developed IP between 1993 and 2001 and compared them to the diaries of 146 similar participants who remained arthritis free.

The team noted that low intakes of fruits, vegetables and vitamin C increased the risk of developing IP, with subjects who consumed the lowest amounts having three times the risk of subjects who consumed the highest amounts.

Researchers urged more studies to confirm their results.

Ann Rheum Dis.63(7):843-847, 2004

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