The Effect of Vitamin C on Bone Mineral Density (A Randomized Clinical Trial)

The decline of bone mineral density (BMD) and prevalence of osteoporosis is a silent epidemic of the century. World Health Organization announced osteoporosis following cancer، heart attack and cerebral stroke as the fourth human enemy. The objective of the current study was to estimate the effect of vitamin C on BMD in menopausal women with balanced diet. The study was a randomized clinical trial in which 150 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis were chosen based on convenience purposive sampling method. Using a randomized block design، subjects were divided into two groups: one group received vitamin C and the other group received placebo. After homogenizing groups، the experimental group was given vitamin C 1000 mg daily in two doses for 6 months and the control group received a placebo with the same method. After 6 months، bone densitometry was done and the results were analyzed using independent and paired t-tests and ANOVA. SPSS16 software was used to analyze the collected data. Significant level of 5% was considered. Comparison of index mean of femoral BMD in two groups (independent t-test) and inside the groups (paired t-test) did not show any significant difference before and after the treatment (p>0. 05). Comparison of the index mean of BMD in vertebral bones of trial and control groups (using independent t-test)، did not show any significant difference before and after the treatment (P= 0. 541 and P= 0. 499، respectively) but intra groups results (using paired t-test)، indicated a significant difference both in the test group (p=0. 001) and in the control (p=0. 001). Consumption of antioxidants can be effective for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.