Eating Fruits and Vegetables to Reduce Cataract Risk
New research highlights that fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants could reduce the risk of cataracts.
To reach this conclusion, scientists from Xi’an Jiaotong University (China) and the University of South Australia analyzed about twenty studies conducted worldwide on the impact of vitamins and carotenoids (a family of plant pigments in shades of red, orange, yellow or pink).
Their findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, confirm the importance of regularly eating citrus fruits, peppers, carrots, tomatoes, as well as dark green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli and kale to delay the onset of cataracts.
Regarding lutein (a yellow pigment from the carotenoid family), researchers explain that there is a dose-response relationship: the risk of cataracts is reduced by 26% with an intake of 10 mg/day.
“Age-related cataracts are the leading cause of visual impairment among older people worldwide, with unoperated cataracts accounting for 35% of all blindness,” says Dr. Ming Li, one of the study’s authors. According to the scientists’ estimates, these surgeries will cost society more than $5.7 billion by 2020. “If we could delay the onset of age-related cataracts by 10 years, the number of people requiring surgery could be cut in half,” continues Dr. Ming Li.
Nevertheless, according to the researcher, it would be necessary to improve the diet of a large number of people, since current antioxidant intake is below the level recommended to achieve this preventive effect.
Source: the editorial team at acuite.fr
