Because of its lack of symptoms, osteoporosis has become known as a “silent disease.” Approximately 28 million are afflicted with osteoporosis or have symptoms similar to it. Like anorexia nervosa, it’s come to be known as a “woman’s disease.” While there’s no doubt that the lion’s share of those afflicted with these diseases are, in fact, women, there is an increasing number of men that suffer from osteoporosis (and anorexia), making an already silent disease downright unnoticeable.

To reverse osteoporosis’ bone-thinning effects, women are quite rightly advised to consume more foods high in calcium and vitamin D, two great bone “densifiers,” if you will. Men are advised to get more of these vitamins and minerals in their diets as well, but a new study that puts the spotlight on men’s diminishing bone density says vitamin C is another way men can densify their bones.

Researchers from Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy conducted a four-year study that analyzed the vitamin C levels of approximately 230 men and 400 men, the average age of the group being 75. What they found was that those men who maintained high levels of vitamin C consumption over those four years did not see a diminishment in their bone density structures; while those that decreased their vitamin C lost bone density. The results for the women were not statistically significant, though there were signs that vitamin C played a protective role in their maintenance of bone density also.

This gives men another nutritional method of preserving bone density, allowing them to forego testosterone supplementation or prescription-based treatments that are so often prescribed by doctors. As the researchers say, calcium and vitamin D consumption also play a role in bone development, but vitamin C plays a role because it’s an antioxidant vitamin, and antioxidants diminish free radicals’ ability to put stress on the body’s cells. This puts less stress on the bones.

What are the best sources of vitamin C? Thanks to a remarkable marketing campaign, one tends to associate vitamin C with citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits. While one could do a lot worse, citrus fruits aren’t as packed with vitamin C as some would have you believe. The best source for vitamin C is the bell pepper. Whether it’s green, red, yellow or orange, the nutrient density in a bell pepper make it one of the most packed sources of vitamin C available. Other great vegetable sources include broccoli and brussels sprouts. For fruits, you can’t beat the berry, particularly strawberries. For herbs, try parsley.