Favorable effect of dietary vitamin C on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women (KNHANES IV, 2009): discrepancies regarding skeletal sites, age, and vitamin D status

Summary Dietary vitamin C intake showed significant positive associations with BMD in postmenopausal women, especially with vitamin D deficiency. Introduction Although there is a positive role of vitamin C in osteoblastogenesis, debate remains about the contribution of vitamin C to bone mineral density (BMD) in humans. Methods Data were derived from the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Dietary information was assessed using a 24-h dietary recall questionnaire. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar and hip. Results A total of 1,196 postmenopausal women aged 50 years and older were stratified into tertiles by daily dietary vitamin C intake. After adjusting for traditional confounders, dietary vitamin C intake tertile was significantly positively associated with BMD at all sites ( R = 0.513 for lumbar spine (LS) and R = 0.657 for femoral neck (FN), P