The Natural Nutrients that Can Save Your Eyes
Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of blindness in older people. New research shows that supplementing a few safe nutrients can put the brake on its progression.
Research funded by the National Institutes of Health in the US has found that it is possible to slow own the progression of age-related macular degeneration by simply supplementing a few nutrients.
The research builds on earlier research that found that a combination of 500mg of vitamin C, 400IU of vitamin E, 2mg of copper, 80mg of zinc and 15mg of beta-carotene could significantly slow the progression of AMD from moderate to late disease and the loss of vision that comes with it. The antioxidant formula lowered the risk of advanced disease by about 25% and of vision loss by about 19%.
Now a new study looked at what happens when you substitute beta-carotene with the carotenes lutein and zeaxanthin.
Previous research has shown that people who get the most lutein and zeaxanthin in their diet are 57% less likely to develop macular degeneration and that lutein significantly improves vision in people who have it (JAMA 1994;272:1413-20).
The new study replaced beta-carotene with 10 mg lutein and 2 mg zeaxanthin. After 10 years, the people on the new formula had an additional 20% reduction in risk of progression to late age-related macular degeneration compared to the beta-carotene formula.
This important study shows that natural supplements can actually slow the progression of macular degeneration and, potentially, save your vision.
JAMA Ophthalmol. June 02, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2022.1640