If we want to keep our vision as clear as possible, we must go on a “See Food Diet,” and I don’t mean eating everything we see!
The current rate of increase for cataracts, globally, is 58.45%; in an article from Vision 2020, they estimated over 100 million.
Cataracts can be prevented via minerals and vitamins. Why? Very simple: Cataracts are caused by oxidation (free radicals run amok) of the lens (cornea). Therefore, if we keep them anti-oxidated, we can certainly prevent or reverse this annoying and costly condition. This discovery was made by Allen Taylor from Tufts University, USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.
Vitamin C and beta-carotene are the most popular antioxidants and, collectively, most alternative medical specialists recommend taking coenzyme Q-10, selenium, superoxide dismutase along with the amino acids cystine, glutathione, methionine and taurine.
The most well-known of all antioxidants would be beta-carotene. In the latter years, scientists have discovered yet another “power punch” antioxidant from the carotenoid family called lycopene. This is found in the red pigment of the tomato and has the highest oxygen quenching rate of the antioxidant family. Lycopene is also found in apricots, grapefruit, guavas and watermelon.
Another “non-negotiable” in cataract prevention/reversal is vitamin E. Out of a 660 subject study (called the Baltimore Longitudinal Study), those with the most vitamin E in their bloodstreams were 50 percent less likely to develop cataracts. The same study that touted lycopene discovered that d-alpha tocopherol (vitamin E) is a highly effective antioxidant.
Also, selenium combined with vitamin E has been used successfully by veterinarians to treat cataracts in dogs. The dogs ingesting this combination not only lost their cataracts, but according to their owners, seemed to have markedly improved vision from even before the cataracts.
Here’s yet another testimonial for vegetarianism: A 1991 study found that older people who consumed mostly fruits and vegetables were 37 percent freer of cataracts, and other studies since then have produced parallel results. In the same year, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that people who ate 3.5 servings per day of fruits and vegetables have a substantially lower risk for cataracts and those who consumed less were up to six times more likely to have cataracts.
A large-scale study done by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School involving 120,000 subjects showed that cataracts were 40 percent reduced by regularly consuming foods high in vitamin A, such as spinach, squash and yams. In addition to cataract prevention potential, vitamin A helps in several ways, one of which is light change adaptation. This “magic” is dependent upon a chemical known as rhodopsin. This is a close relative of vitamin A and is the “army” that keeps us seeing in the dark.
Researchers have found that the vitamin C level in our eyes is 20 percent to 70 percent greater than in the rest of our body, which is no accident. This helps to fight cataracts along with vitamin E, vitamin A and selenium.
Also, eating wheat bread sandwiches (as they contain riboflavin, which is an excellent cataract inhibitor) lessens your odds of getting cataracts.
There are numerous studies that you can seek out on the internet that show us how to keep cataracts at bay.
Remember, some medications can react with vitamins and/or minerals, so please consult with your doctor/doctors before adding anything to your daily regimen.
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