Medical Nutrition Matters: Summer 2023 Volume 43, No. 1

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Article: An Orange a Day Keeps the Fracture Away: Implications of Vitamin C in Bone Health

Vitamin C plays an important role in bone health, which has only recently been appreciated in the literature. Many populations are at risk for vitamin C deficiency due to inadequate intake, increased needs, or poor absorption. Deficiency can present with a wide variety of symptoms that make diagnosis challenging. With bone health, it may be important to not only prevent deficiency, but also promote sufficiency, especially for those most at risk for fractures and osteoporosis. Vitamin C deserves more emphasis when providing nutrition education for bone health, and the expertise of the registered dietitian, nutritionist, is needed to individualize patient recommendations.

CPE Level: 2
CPEU: 1
Performance Indicators: 8.1.1, 8.2.2, 8.2.3, 8.2.4

Learning Objectives

• Describe the role of vitamin C in bone health.
• Identify populations at risk for vitamin C deficiency.
• Understand how to apply knowledge about vitamin C and bone health to the nutrition care process.

Authors

Olivia Morgan, MS, RD, LDN and Emily Kivlehan, MD