Ascorbic Acid & Uric Acid Research

This is the ascorbic acid subsection of the Uric Acid & Vitamins section. So here you will find a list of studies that investigate links between vitamin C and gout.

For this current version, I have done a quick search of ascorbic acid and gout topics. Then, I've excluded studies that do not include a readily available abstract that summarizes a relevant connection. So there is scope for me to conduct more thorough research on specific aspects of ascorbic acid & uric acid if your feedback indicates I should.

Ascorbic Acid & Uric Acid Studies

Currently, the studies I have included are:

Study	Status	Quote/Note
Stein, Howard B., Arjumand Hasan, and Irving H. Fox. 1976. “Ascorbic Acid-Induced Uricosuria. A Consequency of Megavitamin Therapy.” Annals of Internal Medicine 84 (4): 385–88.	new	In 3 subjects who ingested 8.0 g of ascorbic acid for 3 to 7 days the serum uric acid decreased by 1.2 to 3.1 mg/dl as a result of a sustained uricosuria.
Kirschbaum, B. 2001. “Renal Regulation of Plasma Total Antioxidant Capacity.” Medical Hypotheses 56 (6): 625–29.	new	uric acid is oxidized under conditions associated with high oxidant stress and may spare other antioxidants such as ascorbic acid
Jacob, Robert A., Giovanna M. Spinozzi, Vicky A. Simon, Darshan S. Kelley, Ronald L. Prior, Betty Hess-Pierce, and Adel A. Kader. 2003. “Consumption of Cherries Lowers Plasma Urate in Healthy Women.” Journal of Nutrition 133 (6): 1826–29.	new	postdose increases in plasma ascorbic acid indicated that dehydroascorbic acid in fruits is bioavailable as vitamin C
Huang, Han Yao, Lawrence J. Appel, Michael J. Choi, Allan C. Gelber, Jeanne Charleston, Edward P. Norkus, and Edgar R. Miller. 2005. “The Effects of Vitamin C Supplementation on Serum Concentrations of Uric Acid: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.” Arthritis & Rheumatism 52 (6): 1843–47.	move	Reformat 2012 review here. Supplementation with 500 mg/day of vitamin C for 2 months reduces serum uric acid
Lee, Susan J, Robert A Terkeltaub, and Arthur Kavanaugh. 2006. “Recent Developments in Diet and Gout.” Current Opinion in Rheumatology 18 (2): 193–98.	new	Although limited by confounding variables, low-fat dairy products, ascorbic acid and wine consumption appeared to be protective for the development of gout.
Choi, Hyon K., Xiang Gao, and Gary Curhan. 2009. “Vitamin C Intake and the Risk of Gout in Men: A Prospective Study.” JAMA Internal Medicine 169 (5): 502–7.	new	Higher vitamin C intake is independently associated with a lower risk of gout.
Johnson, Richard J., Yuri Y. Sautin, William J. Oliver, Carlos Roncal, Wei Mu, L. Gabriela Sanchez-Lozada, Bernardo Rodriguez-Iturbe, Takahiko Nakagawa, and Steven A. Benner. 2009. “Lessons from Comparative Physiology: Could Uric Acid Represent a Physiologic Alarm Signal Gone Awry in Western Society?” Journal of Comparative Physiology B-Biochemical Systemic and Environmental Physiology 179 (1): 67–76.	new	there is a complex interplay between fructose, uric acid and vitamin C, with fructose and uric acid stimulating the foraging response and vitamin C countering this response
Shah, Ankoor, and Robert T. Keenan. 2010. “Gout, Hyperuricemia, and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Cause and Effect?” Current Rheumatology Reports 12 (2): 118–24.	new	uric acid also has potentially protective effects as a strong antioxidant, approaching the potency of vitamin C
Andrés, Mariano, Francisca Sivera, Louise Falzon, Rachelle Buchbinder, and Loreto Carmona. 2014. “Dietary Supplements for Chronic Gout.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 11 (10).	new	Vitamin C did not lower sUA [serum Uric Acid] as much as allopurinol
Moyad, Mark A. 2014. “Lifestyle Changes, CAM, and Kidney Stones: Heart Health = Kidney Health,” 201–29.	new	Vitamin C may lower serum uric acid and gout risk by also creating a higher urinary uric acid load in some individuals
Kobylecki, Camilla J, Shoaib Afzal, and Børge G Nordestgaard. 2018. “Genetically High Plasma Vitamin C and Urate: A Mendelian Randomization Study in 106 147 Individuals from the General Population.” Rheumatology 57 (10): 1769–76.	new	our data do not support a causal relationship between high plasma vitamin C and low plasma urate
Nakagawa, Takahiko, Miguel A Lanaspa, and Richard J Johnson. 2019. “The Effects of Fruit Consumption in Patients with Hyperuricaemia or Gout.” Rheumatology 58 (7): 1133–41.	new	Vitamin C, epicatechin, flavonols, potassium and fibre are all nutrients in fruits, and these factors could modify fructose and urate effects.
Brzezińska, Olga, Filip Styrzyński, Joanna Makowska, and Konrad Walczak. 2021. “Role of Vitamin C in Prophylaxis and Treatment of Gout-A Literature Review.” Nutrients 13 (2): 701.	new	Most epidemiological studies indicate a significant correlation between high vitamin C intake and lower serum uric acid levels. Despite promising observations, there are few observational and interventional studies, and their results do not clearly define the benefits of a high daily intake of vitamin C in preventing the development and recurrence of gout.

Your Ascorbic Acid & Uric Acid

Are you concerned about how your vitamin C consumption affects your gout? Then these are some studies that you should discuss with your professional health advisers. But, as you can see from the quotes, this is a complex topic. Since details from the studies show how results are affected by each gout sufferers individual circumstances. Especially with regard to each gout sufferers:

Uric acid production rates.
Uric acid excretion rates.
Other genetic and dietary factors.

So be sure to discuss suitable tests to ensure your uric acid treatment plan is safe and reliable.

As ever, I prioritize completion of these studies according to your feedback. So if you want me to publish a review that is still not complete, let me know.

You can post your comments about ascorbic acid and uric acid in the Gout Forum.

Leave Ascorbic Acid & Uric Acid Research to browse the Uric Acid & Vitamins section.