A Dutch study has recently shown that there are certain vitamins which can help slow down the process of age-related macular degeneration as well as help prevent it. According to previous research, having around 5 to 13 times the normal daily allowance of various vitamins like Vitamin C and E, along with beta carotene and zinc, helped slow down the progression of AMD by around 25% over a period of five years in people already afflicted with the disease.
This Dutch study discovered that having a diet which is rich in vitamins and minerals in their naturally occurring forms made quite a substantial difference-a whopping 35% reduction in the risk of AMD for those who had an above-average consumption of the vitamins via their diet, and a lower 20% increase in risk for people who consumed them in below-average quantities. It is interesting to note that consuming additional supplements above this diet did not make any difference to the results.
Beta carotene, Vitamins C and E, and Zinc have been found to offer a large amount of protection against AMD, the primary cause of complete blindness in the country. Having a regularly high consumption of particular antioxidants in your daily diet can help delay further degeneration as far as AMD is concerned. This was recently established at a study published in a Journal of the American Medical Association issue recently.
Netherland researchers have checked the dieting patterns followed by around 5,000 persons who are 55 years or older for more than eight years to see if Beta carotene, Vitamins C and E, or Zinc can help prevent AMD in older people.
Age-related dry macularDegeneration is a degenerative disease of the retina’s core which is called the macula. If it is present, AMD tends to attack our retina relentlessly as we grow older affecting 11.5% of Caucasian people older than 80 years of age, and this number is likely to shoot up by more than 50% over the coming two decades. People who participated in this study, and who had a higher intake than average (median) amounts of beta carotene, vitamins C and E, and zinc showed a 35% lower risk of getting AMD, as compared to others who had a lower than average consumption of even one of these vitamins and minerals. People who had a below-average consumption of all the four nutrients exhibited a 20% higher risk of acquiring AMD. It is suggested that proper diet can easily and drastically reduce the risk of getting AMD, particularly if larger amounts of vitamin E and Zinc are consumed. It is easy to find Vitamin E in vegetable oil, nuts, whole grains, and eggs. Zinc is also found in large measure in poultry, meat, whole grains, fish, and dairy products. It was also concluded in this research that food which was high in nutrients found in nature were more important than having man-made artificial nutritional supplements.
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