Originally published February 5 2006
Vitamin C and E protect against eye disease, according to new Dutch study
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Dr. Robert Cykiert, a professor of ophthalmology at New York University School of Medicine, comments on a recent study that linked vitamins C and E, as well as zinc, to a reduced risk of the eye disease known as macular degeneration.
Eating carrots, which are rich in the nutrient beta carotene, as well as foods containing the antioxidant vitamins C and E and zinc, results in a significantly reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration in elderly people, a new Dutch study has found.
Macular degeneration, a progressive eye condition, attacks the macula, where your sharpest central vision occurs.
The disease rarely causes complete blindness, but it robs you of all but your outermost, peripheral vision, leaving just dim images or black holes at the center of your vision.
"We're expecting to see more AMD because the Baby Boomer generation is approaching that age, and everyone is living longer," Cykiert said.
The number of people severely disabled by late-stage AMD in the United States is expected to increase by more than 50 percent, to 3 million, in the next 20 years.
Previous studies evaluating antioxidants had shown conflicting results, with one major study showing that raising levels of beta carotene, vitamins C and E and zinc in people with early or single-eye late AMD resulted in a 25 percent reduction in the progression to late AMD over five years.
Those who had an above-average intake of all four nutrients (beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc) had a 35 percent reduced risk of AMD.
Vitamin E is found in whole grains, vegetable oil, eggs and nuts; zinc in meat, poultry, fish, whole grains and dairy products; beta carotene in vegetables such as carrots, kale and spinach; and vitamin C in citrus fruits and juices, green peppers, broccoli and potatoes.
"Up to now, we thought you needed to take heavy doses of supplements to achieve the benefits of these antioxidants," Cykiert said.
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