To test their idea, the researchers analyzed data from 13,130 men and women enrolled in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics between 1988 and 1994. Serum ascorbic acid levels were measured using a modern analytic assay and abdominal ultrasound exams were used to test for gallstones.
Low levels of ascorbic acid in the bloodstream were associated with an increased prevalence of gallbladder disease in women, but not men, said Simon. Among women, an increase (0.5 mg/dL) in ascorbic acid levels was associated with an approximately 13 percent lower prevalence of symptomatic gallbladder disease. Additionally, the researchers found that using vitamin C supplements, or multiple vitamins containing vitamin C, was associated with a 34 percent lower prevalence of symptomatic gallbladder disease in women.
The researchers also found an association between vitamin C levels and asymptomatic gallstones. After excluding participants with known gallbladder disease and with abdominal pain characteristic of gallbladder disease, there were 9,650 participants available to test the relationship between ascorbic acid levels and asymptomatic gallstones.
Again, a 0.5 mg/dL increase in ascorbic acid levels was associated with an approximately 13 percent lower prevalence of asymptomatic gallstones in women, but not men. Because the participants did not know they had gallstones, changes in diet or behavior after learning of gallstones could not account for the results, said Simon. Finding the relationship between vitamin C and asymptomatic gallstones strengthens the hypothesis that low levels of vitamin C may be a risk factor for gallbladder disease, said Simon.
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Contact: Kevin Boyd
kboyd@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco
9-Apr-2000