title: Long-term vitamin C supplementation has no markedly favourable effect on serum lipids in middle-aged Japanese subjects.
abstract: Antioxidant vitamins have been reported to be associated with an improvement in blood lipid profiles, but results are not consistent. The present study was designed to determine whether long-term vitamin C supplementation could alter serum lipid concentrations in subjects who completed a 5-year population-based double-blind intervention trial. A total of 439 Japanese subjects with atrophic gastritis initially participated in the trial using vitamin C and beta-carotene to prevent gastric cancer. Before and upon early termination of beta-carotene supplementation, 134 subjects dropped out of the trial; finally, 161 subjects assigned to the high-dose group (500 mg vitamin C/d) and 144 subjects assigned to the low-dose group (50 mg vitamin C/d) were studied. No favourable effect of vitamin C supplementation on serum concentrations of total cholesterol, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol, and triacylglycerol was observed, although high-dose vitamin C supplementation increased serum vitamin C concentrations substantially. Among women, the mean change in serum triacylglycerol decreased (-0.12 mmol/l, 95 % CI -0.32, 0.09) in the high-dose group, but increased (+0.12 mmol/l, 95 % CI 0.03, 0.22) in the low-dose group. In addition, the mean change in serum triacylglycerol among women with hypertriacylglycerolaemia was statistically significant (-1.21, 95 % CI -2.38, -0.05) after high-dose vitamin C supplementation. The 5-year vitamin C supplementation had no markedly favourable effects on the serum lipid and lipoprotein profile. However, our present results do not preclude the possibility that vitamin C supplementation may decrease triacylglycerol concentrations among women with hypertriacylglycerolaemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Mi Kyung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Shizuka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasazuki
authors.forename: Shunji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okubo
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Shoichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsugane
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005757:Gastritis, Atrophic / Q000178:diet therapy; D006801:Humans; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000517:prevention & control; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol; D001205:Ascorbic Acid