Bad news: More than 3 million more people will suffer from age-related macular degeneration in the next five years.
Good news: The right diet can lower your risk.
Those who are aged 50 and above, vision loss may seem to be a normal occurrence and the culprit behind is age-related macular degeneration or AMD. What happens when AMD progresses? There will be a blurred area close to the center of your vision and you would notice that objects are not as sharp as they used to be. Losing your central vision does not only fade the colours you see. What is worse is its interference with the little activities you love to do like looking and recognizing the faces of people you love, reading your favourite book, driving around town, cooking your comfort food, and even watching TV.
Aside from age, other risk factors for AMD include smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, and excessive sun exposure. It seems like AMD is inevitable and there’s no way around it.
Well that is not completely true! Studies show that there are certain nutrients that can protect you from the progression of AMD. Researchers found that the combination of vitamins C and E, as well as beta-carotene, zinc and copper all reduce one’s risk of late-stage AMD by about 25%. In their second study, it is stated that a combination of the carotenoids zeaxanthin and carotenoids have the same positive effect.
While you can take supplements to get the above-mentioned nutrients, it should also be noted that you can get them through healthy eating as well.
Some examples of food and nutrients that are proven to promote eye health and reduce AMD risk are olive oil, Goji berries, rosemary, saffron, Ginkgo Biloba, B Vitamins, and egg yolks. Other sources of lutein and zeaxanthin include dark leafy greens like turnip greens, romaine lettuce, collard greens, and kale, as well as honeydew melon. Kiwi, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, spinach, peas, celery and broccoli are also high in lutein.
Macular Degeneration is just one of the many health concerns related to aging. And while everyone seems to accept or even expect health to deteriorate as we grow older, it does not mean we have to succumb to age-related symptoms and conditions and not fight for our health for as long as we can.
Sloan Natural Health Center lets you discover an anti-aging system that incorporates diet, detoxifying programs, nutraceuticals, strength-training exercises, and more to transform your health from within even at your golden age. Give us a call so we can start planning the best way to restore your health!
