Report Fuels Concern About Feeding Hungry
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Day Trips: There’s Something Special About A Circus
Ted Ruhig: Protecting the Long-Term Economic Health of the Elderly
Dutch Treat: Short-Lived Pony Express Leaves Lasting Historical Impression
Senior
Health:
Protect Your Eyes By Eating Spinach
By
Mia Smitt
Nurse Practitioner
Sacramento Family Medical Clinic
“Eat
your greens!” your mother repeated constantly as you were
growing up. “Eat your greens!” says your ophthalmologist.
Spinach, kale, collard greens, romaine lettuce and other green leafy vegetables
may help to prevent diseases associated with advancing age such as cataracts
and macular degeneration. These green leafy veggies are rich in the antioxidant
carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.
Leutin and zeaxanthin are essential elements that must be taken in through foods.
They are not produced by the body. As we grow older, the concentrations of these
substances are lower. This is a precursor to both a lower consumption of leutin
and zeaxanthin-rich foods and the aging body’s natural oxidative processes.
These antioxidant carotenoids act like the eye’s sunscreen in that they
screen out damaging sunlight.
Measurable amounts of these particular antioxidants are found in the eye. Bill
Christen, M.D., professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and
Harvard Medical School in Boston led a research study which showed that people
who have diets high in leutin and zeaxanthin are less likely to develop cataracts
than people whose diets have less of these nutrients.
A second study by scientists in Australia showed a relationship between these
nutrients and age-related macular degeneration. Zeaxanthins are most important
for the prevention of macular degeneration. Wolfberries are the highest-known
dietary source of zeaxanthins.
The risk of developing eye disease may be lowered by increasing the intake of
foods high in these antioxidants. Six milligrams per day of leutin/zeaxanthin
should improve your overall vision, reduce your cataract risk by 20 percent and
reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration by 50 percent.
Another study showed that zinc combined with several other antioxidants also
lowered the risk of macular degeneration and the loss of vision it causes. There
are high dose supplements available which are specifically designed for people
who already have macular degeneration, but they should be taken with caution
and only upon the advice of an ophthalmologist.
Carrots, a rich source of vitamin A, do not quite make the super foods list in
the quest for improved eye health. Michael Marmor, M.D., ophthalmology professor
at Stanford University School of Medicine, states that “people are generally
not vitamin A deficient in our society, and a high dose doesn’t do any
more good.”
The most useful vegetables appear to be the green leafy ones.
Many healthcare professionals suggest supplements or multivitamins with zinc,
leutin and zeaxanthin in recommended amounts as a preventive measure. Roger Steinert,
M.D., professor of ophthalmology at the University of California at Irvine, said, “It
makes perfectly good sense to be taking a prudent amount of nutrient supplements
along with eating a healthy diet in order to not have problems when you’re
older.”
“There’s no downside, and there’s good evidence it can help,” said
Andrew Weil, M.D., founder and director of the Program in Integrative Medicine
at The University of Arizona in Tucson. He recommends starting as early as the
teen years.
Eat your green leafy veggies. Your mother knew what she was talking about!
Mia Smitt, a Sacramento native, is a family nurse practitioner who has given
presentations at national conferences. She is married with two kids (one currently
serving in Iraq) and works at Sacramento Family Medical Clinic at 3637 Mission
Ave, Carmichael.
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