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Vitamin C supplement may be associated with higher risk of age-related cataract in women
Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.28528.
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A study from the Swedish Mammography Cohort found that for women aged 65 years and older, use of a vitamin C supplement increased risk of cataract by 38%.
In addition, the study found that for those subjects who used vitamin C supplement compared with those who did not, the multivariable hazard ratio was 1.25. For those who used multivitamins that contained vitamin C, the hazard ratio was 1.09.
"Our results indicate that the use of vitamin C supplements may be associated with higher risk of age-related cataract among women," the authors said.
The population-based prospective cohort study looked at 24,593 women between 49 years and 83 years of age in the Swedish Mammography Cohort. Information on dietary supplement use of vitamin C supplements (1,000 mg) and vitamin C in multivitamins (60 mg) was collected, along with lifestyle factors, through a self-administered questionnaire.
Follow-up was 8.2 years.
The researchers found 2,497 cases of cataract extraction in the cohort. They found that use of vitamin C in duration of 10 years or more before baseline resulted in a hazard ratio of 1.46.
For subjects on hormone replacement therapy who also took vitamin C compared with those who did not use supplements or hormone replacement therapy, there was a 56% increased risk of cataract.