Saturday, July 2, 2011

Eating fruits and vegetables for good vision

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables will keep eyes in good shape. Everybody have learned that the vitamin A in carrots aids night vision.

Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, mangoes , cantaloupe and apricots are all rich sources of beta carotene and therefore contribute vitamins A to the eye and to the rest of t body, eating carrots does promote good vision.

Fruits and vegetables help prevent two common aging-related eye diseases - cataract and macular degeneration - which afflict millions of Americans over age sixty-five.

People with life-long high intakes of vegetables particularly the carotenoid-rich dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and collard greens, suffer less often from macular degeneration, for example.

These vegetables are rich in certain carotenoid phytochemical that may protect the eyes from destructive disease.

Cataract is the gradual clouding of the eye's lens, a disk of protein that focuses light on the light-sensitive retina.

Macular degeneration is caused by cumulative damage to the macula, the center of the retina. It starts as a blurred spot in the center of what you see. As the degeneration spreads, vision shrinks.

The most common cause of severe vision loss among the elderly and the latest growing cause of legal blindness in US is age-related macular degeneration.

Free radicals generated by sunlight, cigarette smoke, air pollution, infection, and metabolism cause much of this damage. Dark green leafy vegetables contain two pigments, lutein and zeaxanthin that accumulate in the eye.

Lutein is a powerful antioxidant that helps to maintain good vision and helps reduce the risk of cataract and other eye problems.

These two appear to be able to snuff out free radicals before they can harm the eye's sensitive tissues.

Cataracts and macular degeneration often occur among those with low fruit and vegetable intakes.

In general, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains appears to reduce the chances of developing cataract or macular degeneration.
Eating fruits and vegetables for good vision

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