OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between long-term dietary vitamin C intake and recent use of vitamin C supplements with progression and severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Baseline and 5-year follow-up interviews were completed by 2,825 black, Hispanic, or white men and women aged 30-79 y in the Boston Area Community Health Survey. Dietary and supplemental vitamin C intake was assessed by validated food frequency questionnaire. LUTS was assessed using the validated American Urological Association Symptom Index. Multivariable models were used to test associations between baseline vitamin C and progression of LUTS over follow-up, and between recent intake and LUTS severity.
RESULTS: In multivariable models, baseline dietary vitamin C was associated with lower odds of progression of daytime storage symptoms in men (e.g. quartile 4 vs. 1, OR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.41-0.97), or urgency symptoms in women (P-trend=0.02). Recent vitamin C intake at follow-up was also associated with better symptom scores among men. In contrast, among women, vitamin C supplement intake was associated with worse symptom scores, particularly daytime storage problems (500 mg/d vs. none, OR=1.66, 95% CI: 1.18,2.35, P-trend 0.01). Recent dietary vitamin C was not associated with women's LUTS.
CONCLUSION: Vitamin C intake from foods and beverages was inversely associated with progression of daytime urinary storage symptoms in men or urgency symptoms in women at 5-year follow-up. Thus, results do not support a widespread avoidance for LUTS of foods and beverages naturally rich in vitamin C. Supplemental vitamin C use above recommended daily intake levels was associated with higher odds of daytime urinary storage symptoms in women, and this finding is worthy of further attention and confirmation in future clinical trials.
Written by:
Curto TM, Giovannucci EL, McKinlay JB, Maserejian NN. Are you the author?
New England Research Institutes, Inc., 9 Galen Street, Watertown, MA 02472, USA.
Reference: BJU Int. 2014 Jan 28. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1111/bju.12653
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24472044
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