A prospective cohort study published in Public Health Nutrition examined vitamin C supplementation and the risk of knee osteoarthritis. The study followed 1,023 adults aged 40 and older participating in the Clearwater Osteoarthritis Study. Knee X-rays were assessed using the Kellgren–Lawrence scale to evaluate osteoarthritis.
After adjusting for confounding variables, participants who used vitamin C supplements had an 11% lower risk of developing knee osteoarthritis compared with non-users. The authors concluded that vitamin C supplementation may help reduce the risk of incident knee osteoarthritis and noted that, given the public health burden of OA, this inexpensive and widely available nutrient warrants further consideration.
