Maybe your mother was onto something when she continuously told you to “Finish your Vegetables.” According to a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, women who eat large amounts of vegetables – like broccoli, squash, corn, and peas – better Maintain Healthy Vision as they age.
Suzen Moeller, PhD, and colleagues studied more than 1,700 women between the ages of 50 and 79. Each women completed a survey about their current diet, a survey about their diet 15 years earlier, and had high-tech photos taken of their eyes to screen for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a progressive eye disease that causes damage to the Macular, the part of the retina portion of the eye. AMD is also the leading cause of irreversible blindness in people over the age of 65. Currently, there is no cure for AMD, and treatments are limited.
Of those studied, 361 women showed signs of AMD. 327, about 18%, showed signs of intermediate AMD, while 34 showed signs of advanced AMD.
The study showed that healthy women younger than 75 with high lutein and zeaxanthin intake on both food surveys were less likely to have AMD. Lutein and zeaxanthin are two nutrients found in vegetables, such as broccoli, squash, corn, and peas. Lutein and zeaxanthin are also found in egg yolks and supplements.
However, more research is needed before the findings can be confirmed. Moeller even admitted that “Our results could be due to chance.”
If you have any questions about our blog, “Could Eating Your Vegetables Help Maintain Healthy Vision?” or if you would like to know more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, consultative optometrists Dr. Nathan Frank and Dr. Corinne Casey, and the eye care specialists at the Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010 or visiting AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!
For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.
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