How Can You Prevent the Most Common Cause of Blindness?

April 6, 2005

http://www.mercola.com/2002/nov/6/blindness.htm

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main cause of visual

impairment in Western countries. It affects the central region of the

retina, the macula lutea, at which visual acuity is the greatest.

What is the macula?

The macula is a small area just two millimeters wide, located in the back of

the eye, in the middle portion of the retina. The center portion of the

macula is referred to as the fovea, and it is responsible for central

vision. (See diagram below.)

Imagine being unable to tell what time it is. Imagine being unable to

recognize a loved one's face. Age-related macular degeneration is the

leading cause of irreversible blindness among Americans age 65 and older.

Prevent Blindness America estimates that 13 million people in this country

have evidence of AMD.

For reasons scientists have yet to pinpoint, parts of the retina and the

macula become diseased. As AMD progresses, tiny, fragile blood vessels begin

to develop in the retina. These vessels often leak blood and fluid that

damages the retina even further.

Some warning signs of AMD:

Blurred vision (may be the first symptom)

Straight lines begin to appear crooked

Dark or empty spaces may block central vision

There is pigment in the macula that possibly acts as a blue-light filter to

protect the macular region against oxidation by light. In addition, this

macular pigment can scavenge free radicals.

The carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin are the predominant pigments in this

area. Some studies have shown a reduced risk of AMD in subjects with a

higher intake of lutein and zeaxanthin or higher plasma concentrations of

lutein and zeaxanthin.

Ophthalmology. October 2002;109(10):1780-7.

--

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Lutein (LOO-teen) is a carotenoid found in vegetables and fruits. Lutein is

just as important to health, or more so, than beta-carotene.

Lutein acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells against the damaging effects

of free radicals.

Lutein is not made in the body.

Lutein must be obtained from food or vitamin supplements.

Lutein is found in large amounts in green, leafy vegetables such as spinach.

In persons who eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables, it has been found

that the risk of age-related macular degeneration decreases some 43 percent.

However, most Americans simply don't eat enough fruits and vegetables rich

in carotenoids, such as lutein. Ask yourself the following questions:

Are you too busy to eat healthy meals?

Do you eat a lot of fast food?

Do you not eat enough dark green, leafy vegetables?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are you're not

getting enough lutein in your diet.

Lutein is easy to add to your diet if you eat plenty of spinach and other

green, leafy vegetables. Every time you eat a spinach salad or a serving of

kale or turnip greens, your body is getting high levels of lutein.

The problem is that a lot of people don't like these foods or don't eat

enough of them.

So how do you get enough lutein in your diet?

How much lutein is enough?

Nutrition experts currently use 6 milligrams a day as a reliable guideline.

Lutein Sources

Best food sources Per 1/2 cup

Kale, cooked 10mg

Collard greens, cooked 7.7mg

Spinach, raw 3.3mg

cooked 6.3mg

Broccoli, raw 1mg

cooked 1.7mg

Brussels sprouts, cooked 1.7mg

Corn, cooked 1.2mg

Lutein is one of over 650 carotenoids. Beta-carotene is probably the most

famous of the carotenoids. The bioavailability of carotenoids is determined

by the food source and interactions with other items in it. Studies with

beta-carotene and lycopene have shown that association with a lipid matrix

increases the bioavailability of these carotenoids. Carotenoids in the plant

will decrease their bioavailability.

That is why there is a difference in the table above in cooked vegetables

having more lutein. However, when you break down the plant cell by

decreasing food particle size as you do in juicing, you maximize the

bioavailablity of the carotenoids and all other nutrients-far more so than

cooking. Unfortunately, most all of the nutrient databases don't acknowledge

this, and there are no references that one can cite to demonstrate this.

It is important to note that lutein is an oil-soluble nutrient, and if you

merely consume the above vegetables without some oil or butter you can't

absorb the lutein. So if you are consuming vegetable juice, it would be wise

to use some olive or cod liver oil in the juice to maximize your lutein

absorption, as well as the absorption of other important nutrients like

vitamin K.

Most people don't know that lutein is also present in egg yolks. There is

about 0.25 mg in each egg yolk-in a highly absorbable nearly ideal form,

especially if you don't cook it. Egg yolks also have zeaxanthin in an equal

amount. Zeaxanthin is another carotenoid that is likely to be equally as

effective as lutein in preventing macular degeneration.

If you consume four raw egg yolks per day mixed in with your vegetable pulp,

you will be getting 1 mg a day of lutein and zeaxanthin. Your absorption of

each will be close to 100 percent, which may be the equivalent of consuming

half a cup of unjuiced kale or collards.

I consume about one cup of juiced collards in my quart of juice in the

morning, along with four raw egg yolks in my pulp. This means that I am

likely getting close to 20 mg of lutein a day, and I am quite certain that

macular degeneration is not in my future.

Another important consideration is iron level, as iron is a potent oxidant

stress that can clearly damage many sensitive tissues in your body. I will

be posting a major article on this subject in the near future.

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