[Vitamin C and stone risk. Review of the literature].
The popularity of vitamin C can be attributed to Linus Pauling who, in the 1970s, recommended the use of vitamin C for the prevention of influenza. Vitamin C has subsequently been used extensively in a wide range of diseases. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) has been incriminated as a possible risk factor for calcium oxalate stones due to its enzymatic conversion into oxalate. However, this lithogenic role has never been clearly established. Studies evaluating the effect of ascorbic acid on lithogenesis have reported contradictory results. Ascorbic acid has also been extensively used as an urine acidifier for the treatment of chronic or recurrent urinary tract infection. Once again, the data of the literature are contradictory. The purpose of this article was to review the effects of ascorbic acid on lithogenesis and urinary pH based on a review of the literature.
Service d'Urologie, Hôpital Tenon, Paris, France. olivier.traxer@tnn.ap-hop-paris.fr
Olivier
O
Traxer
Margaret Sue
MS
Pearle
Bernard
B
Gattegno
Philippe
P
Thibault
D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006801:Humans; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000652:urine; D010070:Oxalates / Q000652:urine
D010070:Oxalates; D001205:Ascorbic Acid