Vitamin C intake and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

The purpose of this article was to assess the existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses for the association between vitamin C intake and multiple health outcomes. A total of 76 meta-analyses (51 papers) of randomised controlled trials and observational studies with 63 unique health outcomes were identified. Dose-response analysis showed that vitamin C intake was associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), oesophageal cancer, gastric cancer, cervical cancer and lung cancer with an increment of 50-100 mg per day. Beneficial associations were also identified for respiratory, neurological, ophthalmologic, musculoskeletal, renal and dental outcomes. Harmful associations were found for breast cancer and kidney stones for vitamin C supplement intake. The benefits of vitamin C intake outweigh the disadvantages for a range of health outcomes. However, the recommendation of vitamin C supplements needs to be cautious. More prospective studies and well-designed randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are needed.