TABLE 3.

Adjusted least-squares mean bone mineral density (g/cm²) at the hip and spine, by tertile of dietary vitamin C and plasma status in men and women from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study¹

Measure of vitamin C	Dietary tertile 1 or plasma vitamin C <20 μmol/L	Dietary tertile 2 or plasma vitamin C 20–49 μmol/L	Dietary tertile 3 or plasma vitamin C ≥50 μmol/L	P-trend2
Femoral neck bone mineral density (g/cm2)
Dietary vitamin C	0.955 ± 0.010	0.955 ± 0.011	0.951 ± 0.010	0.96
Plasma vitamin C	0.938 ± 0.013	0.955 ± 0.010	0.958 ± 0.010	0.26
Trochanter bone mineral density (g/cm2)
Dietary vitamin C	0.845 ± 0.010	0.844 ± 0.010	0.843 ± 0.010	0.96
Plasma vitamin C	0.827 ± 0.012a	0.837 ± 0.010a	0.855 ± 0.009b	0.04
Total femur bone mineral density (g/cm2)
Dietary vitamin C	1.045 ± 0.011	1.046 ± 0.012	1.044 ± 0.011	0.96
Plasma vitamin C	1.026 ± 0.014a	1.038 ± 0.011	1.056 ± 0.011b	0.04
Lumbar spine bone mineral density (g/cm2)
Dietary vitamin C	1.172 ± 0.015	1.179 ± 0.015	1.181 ± 0.015	0.91
Plasma vitamin C	1.159 ± 0.017	1.178 ± 0.014	1.184 ± 0.014	0.26

¹Values are least-squares means ± SEs. Models adjusted for: sex and estrogen status, age (y), height (cm), BMI (kg/m²), physical activity score, smoking status (ever/never), alcohol intake (never, moderate, heavy), education (3 levels), total energy intake (kcal/d), total calcium intake (mg/d), serum 25(OH)D (ng/mL), plasma hs-CRP (mg/L), and diabetes status (yes/no). Different superscript letters indicate significance between groups, P < 0.05 (least-squares means adjusted using Tukey's test). hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; 25(OH)D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

² P-trend models adjusted for multiple comparisons with the false discovery rate correction method.