Vitamin C

Touted as everything from an anti-inflammatory to an antioxidant, vitamin C has received more scrutiny than many other nutrients, but there are surprisingly few studies of how it may affect arthritis.

One preliminary study from Boston University linked a relatively high intake of vitamin C to a three-fold reduction in the risk of osteoarthritis of the knee. In fact, low intake of the vitamin correlated predictably with the risk of cartilage loss. Vitamin C also appeared to reduce the risk of knee pain.

So should you take supplemental C? Not on the strength of this single study,  but the antioxidant appears to have other better-researched benefits, such as possibly reducing the risk of developing cataracts.

This page was last reviewed/updated on : 02/23/2008