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Aaron,
After your laser eye-surgery, eating more carotenoid-rich fruits and
vegetables will help prevent their recurrence. Eating healthy will not only
protect your eyes, but the rest of your body too. Aging is often tough on your
eyes. And you're not alone. By age 75 more than one out of four people show
signs of damage to the retina. Degeneration of the macula, an area of the retina
in the back of the eye, is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the
U.S. Cataracts blur the vision of 20% of people in their 60's, more than 40% of
people in their 70's, and nearly 70% of those in their 80's.
Age is by far the greatest risk factor in
bringing about changes that can lead to two common sight-robbing disorders,
cataracts and age-related macular
degeneration (AMD). While a cataract is a cloudy area in part or
all of the eye lens, macular degeneration involves damage to the macula.
Emerging evidence suggests that risk of certain eye changes associated with
aging may be reduced by dietary components.
Recent reports on the Age-Related Eye Disease Study
(AREDS), launched by the Institutes of Health's National Eye Institute gave
a lot of attention to the benefits of high-dose antioxidant vitamins and zinc
supplements of eye health. Before starting on these, or any
high-dose, supplements consult first with your physician. Don't
arbitrarily start taking antioxidants or zinc supplements. Antioxidants can
interfere with statin drugs like Lipitor and Zocor, beta-carotene could raise
the risk of lung cancer in smokers, and zinc may raise the risk of prostate
cancer, lower HLD ("good")-cholesterol, and impair immunity. But if your vision
is in danger, the benefits to your eyes may outweigh those potential risks. Your
doctor can monitor and follow your progress for any negative side
effects.
If you have either intermediate or advanced AMD, talk with your doctor about
taking the high-dose daily supplements in AREDS: vitamin C (500 mg), vitamin E
(400 IU), beta-carotene (15 mg, or 25,000 IU), zinc (80 mg), and copper (2 mg).
Make sure you take zinc oxide, because zinc
gluconate could lead to higher blood levels of zinc. The researchers added
the copper because high doses of zinc interfere with copper absorption. While
the high-dose formulations used in AREDS benefited AMD, they conferred no
significant effect on the progression or development of age-related cataracts.
For cataracts, the yellow-colored carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin proved most
beneficial. The National Eye Institute is planning a large trial to determine
the proper dose of carotenoids, but from the research is looks to probably be
between six and 15 mg a day.
And remember, that while data on the benefits of supplements is still
preliminary, a strong body of evidence points to foods that can be consumed
to reduce the risk of both cataracts and AMD. In addition, lutein is very
expensive so most supplements have incredibly low amounts compared to what you
can get in your diet. It's easier to get six milligrams with
vegetables than with most supplements [six milligrams is 24
times more than the 250 micrograms (0.25 mg)
you get in a multivitamin like Centrum Silver]. Below is a list of foods
with relatively high amounts of carotenoids. The table list the amount of lutein
+ zeaxanthin in milligrams in 1/2 cup of vegetable (unless otherwise noted).
- Kale: 11.9 mg.
- Spinach: 10.2 mg.
- Collard greens: 7.3 mg.
- Peas: 1.9 mg.
- Broccoli: 1.2 mg.
- Romaine lettuce (1 c. raw): 1.1 mg.
- Brussels sprouts: 1.0 mg.
- Asparagus: 0.7 mg.
- Corn: 0.6 mg.
- Orange (1): 0.2 mg.
To lower your risk of cataracts and/or macular degeneration follow some (or
all) of the following recommendations: don't smoke, eat leafy green
vegetables like spinach and broccoli at least twice a week, eat fish at least
once a week, lose excess weight, snack on fruits and vegetables and nuts (in
moderation) rather than cakes, cookies, chips, and other processed foods, talk
with your doctor about taking antioxidants or zinc, and exercise.
Getting your five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables has proven
benefits for obtaining adequate levels of eye-protecting nutrients and at
reducing your risk of cataracts and AMD. Eating healthy improves your odds - in
many ways! |
