Search Here

Though we all know that we need to eat a balanced diet, many of us do not. That is why many people rely on vitamins and supplements in order to receive the nutrients that we may be missing in school. However, for people taking Vitamin C pills, that may be a bad idea. One study has found that Vitamin C supplements may raise the risk of the development of cataracts in women.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The researchers examined nearly 25,000 women. Of the entire group, Reuters reports that 59 percent of the women, aged between 49 and 83 years old, said that they took dietary supplements. Within this group, 5 percent of the women took Vitamin C supplements that contained about 1,000 milligrams per serving. An additional 9 percent of women took multivitamins that contained about 60 milligrams of Vitamin C.

The researchers found that women who regularly took Vitamin C supplements had a 20 percent greater chance of developing cataracts, which is a leading cause of blindness. The number was even higher for women who took Vitamin E. That vitamin increased the risk of cataracts by 60 percent, according to the Daily Mail. Women who took hormone replacement therapy and corticosteroid medication, were 65 years of age or older and took Vitamin C had the greatest risk of developing cataracts.

The study found that 2,497 women underwent cataract extraction surgeries. Within the 1,225 women who took Vitamin C supplements, nearly 13 percent of them needed to have cataracts removed. For comparison, only 9 percent of the women who took no vitamin supplements at all suffered from cataracts. Of the women who took multivitamins, 11 percent needed cataract surgery.

This study goes slightly against common wisdom. Doctors have long thought that Vitamins C and E would prevent cataracts because they are antioxidants. They thought that the vitamins would prevent oxidation of the cells, which destroys them. However, this study and other recent research indicates that overdosing on the vitamins may actually spur oxidation, tilting the natural balance of the proteins in the eye.

Another recent study linked Vitamin C supplements with kidney stones in men.

According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin C can be obtained from fruits and vegetables like oranges, strawberries and broccoli. Adult men need 75 milligrams of the vitamin each day; women need 60.

The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.