How Diet, Antioxidants Prevent Blindness In Aging Population

How Diet, Antioxidants Prevent Blindness In Aging Population: "ScienceDaily (Aug. 27, 2008) — A new study reveals part of the magic behind a diet rich in antioxidants, showing how artichokes, blueberries and pecans can hold at bay the leading cause of age-related blindness in developed countries...Researchers at Brigham Young University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University discovered a link between two processes in the retina that, in combination, contribute to a disease called macular degeneration. They found antioxidants disrupt the link and extend the lifetime of irreplaceable photoreceptors and other retinal cells..."

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Eat Oily Fish At Least Once A Week To Protect Your Eyesight In Old Age

Eat Oily Fish At Least Once A Week To Protect Your Eyesight In Old Age: Science Daily
2008.08.11
"...people who habitually consume oily fish at least once a week compared with less than once a week are 50% less likely to have wet AMD. There was no benefit from consumption of non oily white fish. There was a strong inverse association between levels of DHA and EPA and wet AMD. People in the top 25% of DHA and EPA levels (300 mg per day and above) were 70% less likely to have wet AMD..."


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Spices May Protect Against Consequences Of High Blood Sugar

Spices May Protect Against Consequences Of High Blood Sugar: "ScienceDaily (Aug. 7, 2008) — Herbs and spices are rich in antioxidants, and a new University of Georgia study suggests they are also potent inhibitors of tissue damage and inflammation caused by high levels of blood sugar...when blood sugar levels are high, a process known as protein glycation occurs in which the sugar bonds with proteins to eventually form what are known as advanced glycation end products, also known as AGE compounds. The acronym is fitting because these compounds activate the immune system, resulting in the inflammation and tissue damage associated with aging and diabetes...The researchers found a strong and direct correlation between the phenol content of common herbs and spices and their ability to inhibit the formation of AGE compounds. Spices such as cloves and cinnamon had phenol levels that were 30 percent and 18 percent of dry weight, respectively, while herbs such as oregano and sage were eight and six percent phenol by dry weight, respectively. For comparison, blueberries – which are widely touted for their antioxidant capabilities – contain roughly five percent phenol by dry weight..."

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Glycemic index linked with risk of AMD

Link Between Carbohydrate Quality And Vision Loss ScienceDaily 7/13/07 "Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its associated vision loss may be connected to the quality of carbohydrates an individual consumes...confirmed earlier findings linking dietary glycemic index with the risk of developing AMD..."Our findings suggest that 20 percent of the cases of advanced AMD might have been prevented if those individuals had consumed a diet with a glycemic index below the average for their age and gender,"..."Our results support our hypothesis," says Taylor, "that dietary glycemic index, which has been related to the risk of diabetes, is also associated with the risk and severity of AMD." Taylor speculates that carbohydrates that comprise a high-glycemic-index diet may provide eye tissue"It is possible that the type of damage produced by poor quality carbohydrates on eye tissue is similar in both diabetic eye disease and AMD." ..."

No doubt as the eyes go, so do a variety of organs. Glycemic index and glycemic load appears to get more and more important. More info on both here.

Little doubt that this also holds true for our pets.

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