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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Colorful veggies on your dinner plate could save your sight.
A diet high in the plant pigments lutein and zeaxanthin, called carotenoids, may reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
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Suzen M. Moeller, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, and her associates in the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease Study (CAREDS) Research Study Group observed 1,787 women between ages 50 and 79 for an average of seven years. The women -- all from Iowa, Wisconsin or Oregon -- completed a questionnaire at the start of the study regarding the nature of their diet 15 years before the study, gave blood samples and had their retinas photographed.
Researchers did not find a link between diets rich in lutein and zeaxanthin and intermediate AMD in the study group as a whole. However, they did connect intake of the carotenoids and a lower risk of AMD in women younger than 75 with a steady intake of lutein and zeaxanthin, no past AMD and no previous chronic disease.
The carotenoids, which are found in corn, squash, broccoli, leafy green vegetables, peas and egg yolks, could reduce the risk of AMD in one of three ways: by absorbing blue light, increasing membrane strength, or by prevent free radicals from harming eye cells.
Researchers say more evidence is needed to determine whether it's the colorful foods that are helping fend off macular degeneration, or if it's because women who eat these foods typically have a healthier overall diet.
AMD has no cure and is the number one cause of irreversible vision loss in aging people in the United States.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Archives of Ophthalmology, 2006;124:1151-1162
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