Yellow Fruits, Vegetables as Good as Gold in Fighting Eye Disease
Millions of Americans suffer from an eye disease that researchers increasingly are realizing may be preventable.
The disease, age-related macular degeneration, is the most common cause of vision loss in people older than 60. It currently affects at least 6 million people in this country, causing vision impairment in nearly a third, although the total number is expected to increase as the population ages. Because it has been linked to sun and smoke damage, a good pair of shades and a smoke-free lifestyle are wise precautions.
But what you eat also may affect your risk.
The eyeballs are covered with a tough, white skin known as the sclera, home to the retina--the part of the eye that collects light and images and provides pictures of the world. Within the retina is the macular lutea, which registers central vision.
Macular lutea is Latin for “yellow spot,” named because it is quite literally yellow in color--its vibrant hue coming from its high concentration of lutein and zeaxanthin, yellow pigments found in a range of vegetables and fruits.
When the macular lutea is damaged, a person begins to lose central vision, resulting in only a peripheral view of the world.
Everyday activities such as reading or driving are difficult in the disease’s early stages, and they are impossible as the condition worsens.
Although macular degeneration usually develops in the elderly, researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, have found that increased exposure to sunlight in the teenage years through the late 30s increases the risk that the disease will strike people in their 40s and 50s.
Although this makes gloomy reading, scientists are also finding that eating more foods with lutein and zeaxanthin may offer protection.
The pigments are found in yellow squash, corn, tangerines and persimmons. They are also present in spinach, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, peas and rhubarb, although the stronger green pigments hide their yellowness.
Physics professor Richard Bon and his colleagues at Florida International University recently found an 82% reduced risk of damage in the eyes of those with higher concentrations of the pigments, compared with those with low macular pigmentation.
This study and others like it have led doctors and nutritionists to believe that a low intake of lutein and zeaxanthin in the diet may be one of several risk factors for macular degeneration.
Now, it seems, there is an even more compelling reason to eat not just your green, but your yellow, vegetables.
Amanda Ursell, a dietitian and nutritionist, is a London-based freelance journalist. Her column appears twice a month. She can be reached at amanda@ursell.com.
