The role of vitamin C in osteoarthritis : it is worth to pay attention to
Osteoarthritis (also known as arthrosis) can be considered a major medical and social problem. Osteoarthritis generally refers to degenerative joint diseases that often lead to disability.
The seriousness of this disease for society is shown by the figures: the number of cases of arthrosis worldwide reaches up to 600 million people; the number of cases in the USA is more than 30 million people.
(taken from here:
1. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2024.1476853/full
2. https://oaaction.unc.edu/oa-module/oa-prevalence-and-burden/ )
Osteoarthritis is currently considered a degenerative-dystrophic disease, where the main morphological sign is the destruction of articular cartilage with all the ensuing consequences.
Scientists are amazing people: they can also be considered creative individuals and they have a good imagination no less than, say, artists. That’s what I’m getting at.
What is cartilage? It is a living tissue with specific properties. In order for the joint cartilage to remain, so to speak, in shape, two processes must be balanced in it: creation and destruction. Cartilage tissue is a rather complex thing. The supporting structure in many tissues is collagen. And as you know, collagen is a protein and vitamin C is involved in the synthesis of this protein. So, most likely, the researchers admitted the idea that if the cartilage is destroyed, then there are some problems with collagen. And here is the thought: “is there any connection with vitamin C?” Logically, the following comes to mind: only a vitamin C deficiency can be the culprit in the destruction of cartilage (however, dear reader, you certainly do not consider a lack of vitamin C to be the main “villain” in osteoarthritis). Let’s analyze further.
And what delivers vitamin C and other nutrients to the articular cartilage? Well, of course, synovial fluid. This means that one way or another, over time, something happens to the synovial fluid, which worsens both the quality and quantity of synovial fluid.
If undesirable changes occur in the synovial fluid, then nutrition suffers, and then the supporting structures of the cartilage will begin to suffer. The supporting structures of cartilage are mainly represented by collagen types 2 and 3. So, vitamin C plays a large role in the formation of collagen.
What is vitamin C? Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble substance that plays a vital role in many processes in the body.
Here are the main functions of ascorbic acid:
- participation in collagen synthesis,
- works as an antioxidant,
- helps absorb iron.
- enhances immune responses,
- other functions.
That is, from the set of functions of vitamin C, we can see that it can reduce inflammation and fight oxidative stress.
Indeed, clinical studies have shown that the use of vitamin C helps reduce the intensity of pain, improves mobility in the affected joint. And ascorbic acid also helps to reduce the dosage of other painkillers.
(taken from here : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31404121/ )
Recommendations for use.
Unfortunately, there are no uniform approaches regarding how much and for how long a patient with arthrosis should take vitamin C.
Let’s use the advice from the article (Vitamin C and Osteoarthritis Pain-Modulation by Ray Marks, published: September, 2019):
a) during the acute stage, take up to 500 mg of vitamin C per day; take until the pain in the affected joints subsides, but not more than 1 month,
b) during the calm stage, take vitamin C in standard doses: no more than 100 mg per day. Can be taken for a long time.
c) resume taking vitamin C at a dose of 500 mg after a break of 1 month (taking large doses of vitamin C makes the body remove more of it from the body, so a break is needed).
Special note: before starting such treatment, it is better to first consult with your doctor.
Be healthy!
