Keep Smoking And Watch Your Vision Go - Up In The Smoke!!

Smoking quadruples risk of age-related macular degeneration. Of all the things to lose as we age, vision has to be one of the toughest. Reading, driving to visit friends and family, just watching the world go by—so much depends on our sense of sight. Here are a few simple things you can do to preserve your vision and keep macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma at bay. Most people know that eating leafy greens protects your eyes. They are nature’s best sources of lutein and zeaxanthin—carotenoids that filter and absorb damaging radiation as it enters the eye. Several studies have demonstrated that people who eat the most spinach, kale, and other carotenoidrich foods have a significantly reduced risk of both macular degeneration and cataracts.

You may also be aware that dietary fats play a role in vision health. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have been shown to help protect against the development of cataracts and macular degeneration, while corn, safflower, and other polyunsaturated vegetable oils, as well as mayonnaise and creamy sauces made with these oils, increase risk. However, few people realize that carbohydrate intake may also affect the eyes. Researchers from Tufts University in Boston recently found that older people who ate a lot of refined grains, sugars, and other carbohydrates with a high glycemic index (GI) that drive up blood sugar had a 49 percent higher risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration. They concluded that 20 percent of all cases of this disease could be eliminated if everyone adopted a healthy, low-GI diet.

If you really want to go the extra mile toward preserving your vision, you should also supplement with targeted nutrients. The renowned Age-Related Eye Disease Study revealed that supplementing with high doses of zinc, copper, vitamins C and E, and betacarotene slowed the progression of moderate macular degeneration by 20 percent compared to placebo. Supplementation with vitamin C has also been shown to reduce eye pressure in patients with glaucoma, and in one study, it cut the risk of cataracts by 77 percent. Other proven protective nutrients include vitamin D, bilberry, ginkgo, taurine, lycopene, and, as previously mentioned, lutein and zeaxanthin.

Our recommendations are to avoid refined vegetable oils, bread, desserts, and other high-glycemic foods, and eat more vegetables (especially leafy greens), salmon, and other coldwater fish. Be sure to take a comprehensive supplement aimed at supporting overall eye health. Look for the following doses: zinc (50–80 mg), vitamin C (1,000 mg), vitamin E (400 IU), beta-carotene (20,000 IU), copper (3 mg), lutein (15 mg), zeaxanthin (2 mg), lycopene (3 mg), Ginkgo biloba (60 mg), and bilberry (320 mg). References come from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group. A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of high-dose supplementation with vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and zinc for agerelated macular degeneration and vision loss. Arch Ophthalmol. 2001;119(10):1417–1436.
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