Originally published November 11 2005
Vitamins supplements shown to help the elderly fight vision loss
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Institution in Baltimore recommend seniors up their intake of vitamins C,E and beta carotene, as the vitamins have been shown to reduce the risks of vision loss associated with macular degeneration.
In 2001, researchers reported they had found a reduced risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration and vision loss for test subjects who had been given high-dose antioxidant supplements -- vitamins C, E and beta carotene -- as well as zinc or zinc oxide.
In Monday's report, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore tried to estimate how many people in the United States alone would benefit from increasing supplement use.
If all the people at risk took the supplements used in the earlier study, more than 300,000 of them would avoid advanced macular degeneration and any associated vision loss during the next five years, the study said.
"If even half of the individuals at high risk for (the condition) were identified and compliant with the recommended supplement, it is likely that more than 150,000 individuals would avoid vision loss for some time," said the study published in the November issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
"These data suggest that the recommendation of such a supplement for these individuals should have a major impact on them as well as on the public health," the authors concluded.
In an editorial commenting on the study published in the same journal, Lee Jampol, a physician at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said the supplements should be used "only in patients with intermediate or advanced age-related macular degeneration."
"What about patients who have a strong family history of macular degeneration or who for other reasons believe that they are at risk for the disease and wish to take the (supplement) formulation prior to the development" of intermediate or advances cases of the problem, he asked.
"It appears appropriate to eat a diet rich in fruits and (especially green) vegetables, to supplement with a multivitamin and to undergo periodic ophthalmic examinations for the development of" the condition, he added.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml