A new animal study released in PLoS ONE suggests that vitamin C might have even more benefits for bone health than previously thought. Although there is extensive research about the importance of ingesting Vitamin C to prevent weak bones, this new study has found that not only does Vitamin C prevent declines in bone density but it may aid in new bone cell formation as well.

The study was done on mice, one group that had its ovaries removed and a control group that didn’t, to find whether Vitamin C can prevent bone density loss following ovary removal which is known to cause bone density loss. The researchers found that mice who had their ovaries removed had much lower bone density than the control group after eight weeks but mice that had their ovaries removed and were then given large doses of Vitamin C had roughly the same bone density as the control group.

Head researcher Dr. Mone Zaidi says that this is because Vitamin C stimulates your body to create premature bone cells, promoting bone growth and curbing bone density loss. This further suggests that supplementing your diet with large doses of Vitamin C is hugely beneficial to your bone health because we don’t get enough Vitamin C in diet alone. This is particularly important for women who are at high risk for bone density loss as they get older and post-menopausal women who are at the highest risk for bone density loss and osteoporosis. These new findings suggest that Vitamin C can be useful at helping to restore bone density rather than just preventing it.

Vitamin C has long been known to be one of the most important nutrients for bone health, particularly in older women. It helps prevent scurvy, osteoporosis, and gout and has even been linked to a lower incidence of stroke. For best results, supplements that support bone health should include Vitamin C as well as calcium, magnesium, Vitamin D3, Vitamin K2, and Lysine.