The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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  • Recent Comments

    Vitamin C lowers fracture risk

    Researchers at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research 30th Annual Meeting reported that taking vitamin C supplements might reduce the risk for hip and nonvertebral fracture.

    First, the details.

    • The researchers looked for a correlation between total, dietary, and supplemental vitamin C, and the risk of hip and nonvertebral fracture among 958 individuals participating in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study.
    • Participants began completing food frequency questionnaires between 1988 and 1989.
    • They were followed for hip fracture until 2005 and for nonvertebral fracture until 2003.

    And, the results.

    • 100 participants experienced a hip fracture and 180 had a nonvertebral fracture during the study.
    • After adjusting for potential confounding factors, those with the lowest total and supplemental vitamin C intake experienced significantly more hip and nonvertebral fractures than those with the highest total and supplemental vitamin C intake.
    • Total vitamin C intake ranged from 97 mg/day to 305 mg/day.
    • The association was not seen when dietary vitamin C intake alone was evaluated.

    The bottom line?
    There’s some support for these findings in a 2007 study of rats where supplementary vitamin C improved the mechanical resistance to fracture.

    However a 2006 study of smokers concluded that vitamin C had no effect on fracture risk.

    So, should all people take vitamin C supplements, and should doctors measure vitamin C blood levels?

    9/19/08 20:36 JR

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