Dr. Steve Blake
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 VITAMIN C, cataracts, AND LEAD
Cataracts are a major cause of visual impairment, especially as people age. Not all studies have shown a protective effect on cataracts from vitamin C. There may be decreased severity of cataracts if vitamin C intake exceeds 300 mg daily for many years.
The heavy metal lead is associated with many health problems, especially in children. Blood levels of lead are generally lower when vitamin C intake is higher.
Other Roles of Vitamin
Vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of carnitine from the essential amino acid lysine. |
Abram Hoffer, PhD, MD, FRCP(C) and Dr. Jonathan Prousjy, DPHE, DSC, ND, FRSH
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 Cataracts: cataracts also are found more frequently in people with lower beta-carotene levels. The low beta-carotene group had five to seven times the risk of getting cataracts. Being an antioxidant, it should share with ascorbic acid and vitamin E the ability to be therapeutic for any disease characterized by an excess formation of free radicals.
Vision: Beta-carotene also has beneficial effects for the prevention of blindness when supplemented with other antioxidants and zinc. |
Thomson Healthcare, Inc.
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 Cataracts
Bilberry prevented the development of further lens opacity in 97% of the eyes of 50 patients with mild senile cortical cataracts in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial. A Bilberry extract of 180 mg of Bilberry and 100 milligrams vitamin E was given orally twice a day for 8 months (Bravetti et al, 1989). |
Neal D. Barnard and Bryanna Clark Grogan
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 Generally speaking, people who steer clear of dairy products appear to have significantly less risk of developing cataracts.7 The culprit here appears to be lactose, or milk sugar, rather than milk fat.
During the digestive process, lactose releases a simple sugar called galactose, which can enter the lens. Infants who lack the enzymes necessary to break down galactose develop cataracts within the first year of life. The relationship between dairy products and cataracts is still being studied, but this is one more good reason to avoid them.
Certain foods help protect the eyes. |
Dr. Steve Blake
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| Not all studies have shown a protective effect on cataracts from vitamin C. There may be decreased severity of cataracts if vitamin C intake exceeds 300 mg daily for many years.
The heavy metal lead is associated with many health problems, especially in children. Blood levels of lead are generally lower when vitamin C intake is higher.
Other Roles of Vitamin
Vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of carnitine from the essential amino acid lysine. |
Shannon Brownlee
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 A few months later, an ophthalmologist performed surgery on Jean in his office for what he told her were "incipient" cataracts. "I've never looked into what incipient cataracts might be, but it sounds to me like my husband's dermatologist's recommendation, a year before his death from colon cancer, that he come back annually because cells taken from his ear were 'potentially precancerous,'" McAndrew says. "Also that year, my mother had what she thought was blood in her stool and was referred for a colonoscopy. |
Steven V. Joyal
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 Diabetes patients are twice as likely to get cataracts as people without diabetes. cataracts also develop at an earlier age among people who have diabetes.
?Skin and urinary tract infections are more common among men and women who have diabetes.
?More than 60 percent of nontraumatic amputations of the lower limbs are performed on people who have diabetes. In 2002, for example, about 82,000 such amputations were required for people with diabetes.
Macrovascular Complications
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Frederic Vagnini, M.D. and Barry Fox, Ph.D.
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 In this group of men, who ranged in age from 42 to 60, lower levels of vitamin C in the blood were linked to a greater incidence of heart attacks.
• cataracts. The link between vitamin C and cataracts was measured in over 50,000 women participating in the Nurses Health Study.22 Among these women, who ranged in age from 45 to 67, the risk of developing cataracts was 45 percent lower in those who had been taking vitamin C supplements for at least 10 years. |
Jack Challem
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 In addition, cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration are strongly associated with glucose intolerance.
Nerve damage. People with diabetes have a very high risk of developing nerve damage, called neuropathy. This may lead to either pain or numbness. In the case of numbness, diabetics cannot feel foot injuries, which may become infected. A recent study found that people diagnosed with either carpal tunnel syndrome or Bell's palsy (characterized by weakened or paralyzed facial muscles) are often prediabetic and will be diagnosed with diabetes within ten years.
Sleep apnea. |
| To reduce your long-term risk of developing macular degeneration and cataracts, take 5 mg daily of lutein, either as lutein esters or unbound (free) lutein. For active retinal eye disease, try 15 to 30 mg daily of either lutein esters or unbound lutein. In addition, Pyc-nogenol, 100 to 150 mg twice daily, may be helpful in treating diabetes-related retinopathy.
• Kidney disease. High blood-sugar levels are toxic to the kidneys. N-acetylcysteine can often restore normal kidney function, if the damage is not too severe. Take 500 mg three times daily.
Poor circulation. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 They're a great source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two other carotenoids that, when working together, have shown enormous promise in protecting the eyes and helping to prevent macular degeneration and cataracts. Both alpha-carotene and beta-carotene convert in the body to vitamin A, which, in addition to being a great antioxidant and immune system stimulator, tur-bocharges the formation of a purple pigment in the eye called rhodopsin. |
Frederic Vagnini, M.D. and Barry Fox, Ph.D.
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| The link between vitamin C and cataracts was measured in over 50,000 women participating in the Nurses Health Study.22 Among these women, who ranged in age from 45 to 67, the risk of developing cataracts was 45 percent lower in those who had been taking vitamin C supplements for at least 10 years.
Vitamin C has also been studied as a treatment for cancer and asthma, as an antioxidant, and as a means of improving your ability to exercise and engage in athletics.
Daily Requirement
The RDA for vitamin C is 90 mg per day for adult men and 75 mg per day for adult women. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| Improves detoxification, reduces cataracts due to the lutein and zeaxanthin, plus it's a great antioxidant with fiber, calcium, and cardiovascular protection.
3. Broccoli: Contains numerous agents such as sulforaphane and the indoles (indole-3-carbinole and DIM) that are protective against prostate, gastric, skin, and breast cancer. The flavonoids reduce cardiovascular disease and blood pressure. Broccoli contains compounds that are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and support the immune system and the eyes.
4, 5. |
Bottom Line Health
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| Tamoxifen's side effects included a 32% decrease in bone fractures over seven years of follow-up, but an increase in the risk of uterine cancer, stroke, pulmonary embolism and cataracts.
Isaacs says doctors can use a well-validated risk-benefit model that includes a woman's age, medical and family histories as well as other factors to help decide whether tamoxifen might be right for her. |
Mehmet C. Oz., M.D. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
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 The lens thickens with time so we lose the ability to focus, and we may develop cataracts. The retina has rods for black and white vision and cones for color. We get less light back here with age and our cones become less sensitive, so night vision declines, and we are less able to discriminate green and blue wavelengths.
The Cornea: Think of this outer coating as the clear, protective outer covering of a watch. Tears help keep the cornea moist and contain chemicals that fight off bacteria and other vermin. |
| People with cataracts tend to see illusions, not hallucinations. The difference? An illusion is simply a misinterpretation of data that the brain is receiving-perhaps caused by light being refracted in an odd way. A hallucination, on the other hand, isn't based on any kind of reality.
A Vision of Loveliness: Your Eyes
When we were young, we all described eyes the same way: There's the white part, the colored part, and the hole in the middle. |
Marshall Editions
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 Sunglasses solve this problem and are important in preventing cataracts. Protective sunglasses do not have to be expensive. Choose ones that block both UVA and UVB.
HERBALISM
Ginkgo: Ginkgo can be taken as a tea or tincture two to three times a day; most scientific studies use standardized extracts once or twice a day. Ginkgo has few reported side effects, although care should be exercised for those who are also taking anticoagulant and antithrombotic drugs as there may be an added risk of bleeding. |
Ray D. Strand
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 Basic research studies support the theory that free radicals are once again the culprit; they arise from ultraviolet sunray damage and form cataracts.5
The natural antioxidants the body makes (glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase) form the eye's primary defense system. But researchers have realized that the natural antioxidant defense system is not adequate in fully protecting the eye. In fact several clinical trials have considered the possibility that increased dietary and supplemental antioxidants may be protective against oxidative damage to the lens. |
Mehmet C. Oz., M.D. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
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| Often caused by smoking and medication such as steroids in any form, cataracts essentially steam up your optical windows, causing an overall blurriness. They're also caused by our Major Ager of sunlight. The good news is that lenses can be removed and replaced surgically in as little as
FACTOIP
Many researchers believe that the reason why so many people are nearsighted (meaning they can't see far away) is because we don't need distance vision anymore. |
| Similarly, in the case of cataracts and glaucoma, you can help control how fast they develop and whether they'll cause you to lose your eyesight.
As you can see, the Major Ager of UV radiation has a big impact on your eyes by oxidizing the pigments in the retina and decreasing the antioxidants in the thin, yellowish film that protects it, meaning that these delicate cells are always at risk of being damaged through another Major Ager, free radicals. |
| Make sure that rooms are well lit, don't use slippery rugs, use shower mats, and avoid having shiny floors (glares can be especially problematic for people with cataracts). It's also smart to place enough furniture around your room to help you navigate.
YOU Tip: Learn to Fall. It may seem that a stumble on the sidewalk, a slip on the ice, or a trip over a doggie toy isn't so consequential. |
Devra Davis
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 Cataracts fogged their eyes, and constant ringing dulled their ears. In the spring of 1906, Pierre died when struck by a Parisian carriage he had not been able to see or hear. In 1911 Marie isolated radium, unlocking the capacity of this element's atoms to emit bone-piercing energy from their nuclei. The two Nobel prizes she received for her work didn't protect her from the damaging properties of the agents she had discovered. She died in July 1934 after the marrow of her heavily radiated bones lost its ability to make the right amount of white blood cells. |
Ray D. Strand
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| These include coronary artery disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, macular degeneration, cataracts, Alzheimer's dementia, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.2 The list goes on and on.
Even though the average life expectancy in the United States has increased dramatically during this past century, our quality of life due to these chronic degenerative diseases has taken a major hit. We are essentially "living too short and dying too long," as I heard expressed in a speech by Dr. Myron Wentz, a prominent immunologist and microbiologist. Dr. |
J. Douglas Bremner
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 You can also develop Cushing's disease (an excess production of Cortisol in the body), symptoms of which include deposits of fat on the upper back and face, high blood pressure, diabetes, slow wound healing, osteoporosis, cataracts, acne, muscle weakness, ulcers, thinning of the skin, and mood changes. When patients are treated for a long period of time, deaths from adrenal insufficiency have occurred with transfer from oral to inhalation steroids, especially during stressors like surgery. You should not be on steroids for long periods of time. |
Shannon Brownlee
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| I've never looked into what incipient cataracts might be, but it sounds to me like my husband's dermatologist's recommendation, a year before his death from colon cancer, that he come back annually because cells taken from his ear were 'potentially precancerous,'" McAndrew says. "Also that year, my mother had what she thought was blood in her stool and was referred for a colonoscopy. The person who was going to do that fortunately panicked at the last moment and decided that it would not be a good idea to put her through it, and diagnosed hemorrhoids. |
Lester A. Mitscher and Victoria Toews
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 Free radical "hits" on cells and their essential components accumulate over time, producing the signs and symptoms of aging: premature death, heart disease, cancer, dimming cognition, cataracts, and wrinkles. If free radicals are the problem, then antioxidants are, without a doubt, the solution. According to Dr. Denham Harman, a free radical expert from the University of Nebraska, "addition of one of a number of different antioxidants in the diet can increase the average life span." Undoubtedly, green tea's polyphenols are potent antioxidants that can help hold back the hands of time. |
| A highly reactive compound that damages cell membranes and other cell components, contributing to degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, premature aging, cataracts, and arthritis. Free radicals are found in air pollution, tobacco smoke, some foods, and pesticides. Some are produced by ultraviolet radiation; they are also manufactured during normal body processes. Chemically, free radicals have single, unshared electrons that are responsible for their high reactivity.
French paradox. |
Shannon Brownlee
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| People with certain conditions were more likely to get what they needed. cataracts, for exampie, were treated correctly nearly 80 percent of the time. On the other hand, only 24 percent of participants in the study who had diabetes consistently received an important test over a two-year period. Only one in five patients with chronic pulmonary disease was advised to quit smoking; one in ten alcoholics received counseling. |
Thomson Healthcare, Inc.
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| Lutein description
Lutein is a naturally occurring carotenoid used to improve eye health, especially in people with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) and cataracts. Studies show that the retina selectively accumulates two carotenoids, lutein and its chemical cousin zeaxanthin. Within the central macula, zeaxanthin is the dominant component (up to 75%), whereas in the peripheral retina, lutein predominates (greater than 67%). The macular concentration of lutein and zeaxanthin is so high that they are visible as a dark yellow spot called the macular pigment. |
| In a randomized, double-blind trial involving 51 patients with mild senile cortical cataracts who received Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanins plus vitamin E twice daily for 4 months, treated patients showed significant improvements in lens opacity compared with placebo recipients (Bravetti et al, 1989).
Dysmenorrhea
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanins 320 mg/day taken for 3 days before menstruation was conducted involving 30 patients with chronic primary dysmenorrhea. |
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