Study finds fruit helps ward off vision problems

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Study finds fruit helps ward off vision problems

2004-06-14 16:36:34

 

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CHICAGO (Reuters) - Eating fruit regularly earlier in life may help

ward off macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in

older adults, a study said on Monday.

 

But the report said there appeared to be no strong protective effect

from vegetables, vitamins or carotenoids - the compounds that make

some fruits and vegetables red, orange or yellow - as some earlier

research had suggested.

 

The study from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston looked at data

from 77,562 women and 40,866 men who were followed for 12 to 18

years as part of long-term studies tracking them for a variety of

health issues.

 

It found that both men and women who consumed three or more servings

of unspecified fruit a day had a 36 percent decreased risk of

developing macular degeneration.

 

" People are living longer, healthier lives and age-related

illnesses, such as blindness, can significantly impact an otherwise

healthy quality of life, " said Eunyoung Cho, the study's lead

author.

 

" Because there are a limited number of treatment options for age-

related macular degeneration, clinicians and researchers have been

focused on identifying factors that reduce risk and can ultimately

save a person's eyesight, " added Cho, saying the study was the first

large-scale look at diet and preventing the condition.

 

The study, published in The Archives of Ophthalmology, is a

preliminary one and more research is needed, the authors said.

 

The report said macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision

loss among people 65 and older. There are no effective treatments

for the condition in which the macula - a small part of the retina -

deteriorates, causing a loss of central vision.

 

SOURCE: Archives of Ophthalmology, June 2004.

 

 

 

 

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Copyright 2003 Reuters.