Vitamin C pills linked to kidney stones

A new research from Karolinska Institute in Sweden shows that men who take vitamin C supplements regularly have a higher risk of developing kidney stones. The study, published Monday in scientific periodical JAMA Internal Medicine, indicates that men who take vitamin C supplements (typically 1,000 mg per tablet) are twice as likely to develop kidney stones as men who do not take any dietary supplements. The risk is also found to increase with the frequency of vitamin C supplement use. However, the regular use of multivitamins is not found to be associated with the risk of kidney stones. The researchers believe that both the dose and combination of nutrients with which the vitamin C is ingested are important. For this reason, the observed increase in risk does not apply to a normal dietary intake of vitamin C from fruit and vegetables. The research is based on data from a large population-based study of men, who have been observed for 11 years on average. "Given that there are no well-documented benefits of taking high doses of vitamin C in the form of dietary supplements, the wisest thing might be not to take them at all, especially if you have suffered kidney stones previously," says study leader Agneta Akesson, associate professor at Karolinska Institute.