Health and Nutrition Info
By Didrik J. Sopler, Ph.D, L.Ac.
07-12-07

Things you can do to protect your eyes

Omega 3 fatty acids have been linked to many health benefits.  In a recent study involving 4,519 subjects aged 60-80 years it was documented that omega 3 fatty acid intake also was associated with a reduction of macular degeneration which is a serious eye disease (SanGiovanni JP, et al. 2007).  The subjects with the lowest quintile of intake of omega 3 fatty acids had a higher risk of developing macular degeneration compared to the ones in the highest quintile of omega 3 intake.

Dietary intake of arachiodonic acid, a derivative of omega 6 fat, was positively associated with higher risk of developing macular degeneration.  This means that eating fish and or taking fish oil supplements may help to protect your eyes.  To get a better ratio of omega 6 fat to omega 3 fat, most people on a western diet would benefit from decreasing the intake of vegetable oils and increase the intake of fish oil. 

A simple thing as vitamin C intake may help to reduce the incidence of cataracts an other serious eye disease.  A five-year study involving 16,415 men and 18,771 women showed that dietary intake of vitamin C was associated with a reduced risk of developing age-related cataracts (Yoshida M., et al. 2007).

Other antioxidants in addition to vitamin C have also been documented to help protect the eyes.  Vitamin C, Lutein and Zeaxanthin all showed to have a protective effect on the eyes, reducing the risk of developing cataracts (Rodriguez-Rodriguez E., et al. 2006).

BioPro, Inc. offers both a high quality fish oil supplement Better Fish Oil, as well as a complex antioxidant formula Antiox Plus which contains a variety of antioxidants including the ones mentioned above.  For more information and to order log onto www.TissueRecovery.com or call us at 1-800-883-1252.

Wishing you the best of health,

Didrik

References:

Rodriguez-Rodriguez E, Ortega RM, Lopez-Sobaler AM, Aparicio A, Bermejo LM, Marin-Arias LI. The relationship between antioxidant nutrient intake and cataracts in older people. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2006 Nov;76(6):359-66. 

SanGiovanni JP, Chew EY, Clemons TE, Davis MD, Ferris FL, et al. The relationship of dietary lipid intake and age-related macular degeneration in a case-control study : AREDS Report No. 20. Arch Ophthalmol. 2007 May;125(5):671-9.

Yoshida M, Takashima Y, Inoue M, et al. Prospective study showing the dietary vitamin C reduced the risk of age-related cataracts in a middle-aged Japanese population. Eur J Nutr. 2007 Jan 30.