Canadian researchers are reporting that men with a higher intake of vitamin C from food or supplements have a lower risk of developing gout. Gout sufferers are usually men age 40 and older. Vitamin C, according to scientists at the University of British Columbia in Canada, appears to lower levels of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid buildup is what causes inflamed joints common with gout.

The study, which was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, examined nearly 47,000 U.S. men from 1986 to 2006. The study found that every 500 milligram increase in vitamin C intake produced a 17% decrease in gout risk.