Maybe. While we grew up thinking carrots are good for vision, new research suggest that you may also need to look to citrus foods for your eyes.
A recent study published in the Journal Ophthalmology, highlighted that the diet, especially vitamin C, may play an important role in protecting against cataracts. This study looking at the diets of 1,000 female twins uncovered that those with initial diets with vitamin C-rich foods, but not supplements, were associated with a 20 percent reduction in the risk for cataract. After a decade of following these twins, the researchers found that those women who consumed more vitamin C-rich foods had over a 30 percent risk reduction in the progression of cataracts. In this study, an intake of 55 to 230 milligrams daily, which can easily be consumed in a healthy diet, was shown to be protective. It is thought that vitamin C, which baths the lens of the eye, may act as act antioxidant protecting your vision.
Cataracts cloud the lens of your eyes and can be a life altering condition that inhibits individuals to appropriately see the world around them. The ability to clearly see can affect even the simplest tasks of everyday living. Reading, driving a car, watching television, and making your meals can all becoming very cloudy and inhibit your ability to perform these activities.
The first photo is an image being seen by folks with good vision. The second photo is the same image viewed through the lens of a person with cataracts.
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| Photo Source: NIH |
Approximately, 20 million people have cataracts and is the leading cause of blindness globally. While the progression of cataracts can start as early as you in your 40s, you typically won�t see an affect on your vision until after age 60. By the time you turn 80 years old, there is a 50 percent chance that you will either have a cataract or have undergone cataract surgery according to the National Eye Institute.
"The most important finding was that vitamin C intake from foods seemed to protect against cataract progression," said study author Christopher Hammond, MD, professor of ophthalmology at King's College in London. "While we cannot totally avoid developing cataracts, we may be able to delay their onset and keep them from worsening significantly by eating a diet rich in vitamin C." Hammond also notes that vitamin C may be just one of the protective factors within a healthy diet that are good for your eyes.
Americans, on average, should be consuming about 4 � cup of fruits and veggies daily, many are falling short of their daily produce goal. Adding just a few servings of vitamin C-rich choices daily may be the best defense in protecting your eyes:
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| Source: NIH |
When it comes to long-term good vision, look to a healthy diet with adequate amounts of vitamin-C rich foods.
Be well, Joan
Twitter: @JoanSalgeBlake
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