By Bonnie Jenkins, Advanced Natural Wellness

Recently, my mom was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). I had known for some time that her vision wasn’t as good as it should be, but this was the worst possible news.

Her doctor tried to put a positive spin on the diagnosis – “You’ll only lose your central vision” – and I didn’t have the heart to tell her that ARMD can take away her ability to read, write, sew and even navigate the stairs in her own home. But my mother isn’t alone. ARMD is the most common cause of legal blindness in people over 60. In fact, it’s so common that 28 percent of Americans over age 74 are affected by this disease.

Here’s what happens to people with ARMD: The area at the back of the retina called the macula, which controls fine vision, deteriorates, resulting in central vision loss and even blindness. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to guard against this potentially devastating condition – and you may even be able to slow its progression if you are in the same boat as my mom.

Beyond Carrots

We all know that carrots are good for vision – mainly because they are such a rich source of beta-carotene. But other carotenoids can have an even bigger impact on your visual health. The one that gives you the most bang for your buck is lutein.

Found primarily in spinach, corn and eggs, lutein is a normal component of the macular pigment, where it filters the retina-damaging blue-light portion of the sun’s rays. A thicker macular pigment provides greater protection than a thinner macular pigment, and lutein supplementation has been shown to increase the thickness of the macular pigment.

In one study on U.S. veterans, 90 patients with ARMD were randomly assigned to receive either 10 mg. of lutein, lutein plus a multivitamin/mineral supplement containing antioxidants like vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid and bilberry, or a placebo. After one year, the vets taking the lutein or the lutein plus antioxidants had better macular pigment density and contrast sensitivity. They were also able to read more letters on the standard eye chart.

Pairing lutein with another carotenoid called zeaxanthin proves to be even more effective at staving off ARMD. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group assessed 4,519 people between the ages of 60 and 80, taking photographs of their retinas to determine if they had ARMD, and if so, at which stage. The participants also completed a food frequency questionnaire that measured how often they consumed foods rich in certain vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. These included lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene, lycopene and vitamins C and E.

The participants were then divided into five groups based on the amount of each nutrient they consumed. Those who had the highest levels of lutein and zeaxanthin were significantly less likely than those with the lowest levels to have advanced ARMD. They were also less likely to have yellow or white deposits on the retina – a sure sign of ARMD.

While it’s good to eat foods high in these two nutrients, taking them in supplemental form ensures you are getting a steady dose – which is critical if you are at risk of or suffer from ARMD. Look for a supplement that contains at least 6 mg. of lutein and 5 mg. of zeaxanthin and be sure to take it with a fat-containing food to improve absorption.

Up the Anti

Increasing your levels of lutein and zeaxanthin is one of the most effective ways to directly protect your eyes from ARMD. But boosting your overall antioxidant levels also plays an important role in visual health. A recent Dutch study has helped to confirm findings that certain vitamins prevent the onset and slow the progress of ARMD.

A previous study showed that an intake of up to 13 times the recommended daily allowance of vitamins C and E, as well as beta-carotene and zinc, slowed the progression of ARMD by an impressive 25 percent over five years. This new study not only confirmed these findings, they found even better results – a 35 percent reduced risk of ARMD in people who ate diets containing high levels of these nutrients. They also discovered that people who eat diets that are low in these antioxidants have a 20 percent increased risk of developing ARMD.

Antioxidants like selenium, vitamin E, vitamin C and quercetin may protect retinal tissue against oxidative damage. And nutrients like zinc, taurine and anthocyanosides have a direct effect on ocular tissue by stabilizing cell membranes and enhancing visual function.

See Food

While getting paltry amounts of carotenoids and other antioxidants can increase your chance of developing ARMD, there is new evidence that eating too much dietary fat can also boost your risk of ARMD. And it seems the biggest culprits are saturated fat, trans fat and omega-6 fatty acids.

But there is one type of fat that offers protection. Scientists at the University of Melbourne recently pooled data from nine studies and found that a high intake of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of ARMD by up to 38 percent. Other research has found that the balance of fatty acids in the eye can influence macular degeneration risk, possibly by affecting the degree of inflammation.

One omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, may also help those already suffering from this debilitating disease. According to researchers at the University of Rome, taking fish oil not only protected those suffering from ARMD against further damage, it actually improved the vision of those taking the supplement.

One Last Thing …

Even if you don’t develop ARMD, modern life can adversely affect your eyes. Watching television or working on a computer can reduce the amount of times we blink. This decreased blinking can result in the excessive evaporation of tears. Known as dry eye syndrome (DES), this condition afflicts more than 10 million Americans. Artificial tears offer only temporary relief. Expensive prescription drugs promise help, but at the cost of potentially serious side effects.

Luckily, the same fish oil you are taking to prevent ARMD can also soothe dry eyes. A recent trial, which was part of the Women’s Health Study, found that women whose diets provided the highest amounts of omega-3 fatty acids had a 17 percent lower risk of DES. In contrast, women whose diets supplied a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids had more than twice the risk of DES syndrome, compared to those with a more balanced intake of fatty acids.

So lubricate those peepers by planning fish for dinner. Eating fatty fish – in addition to taking an omega-3 supplement – twice a week can help prevent dry eye and keep you “looking good” for life!

This Just In …

Want a healthy heart? Reach for some dental floss. Research shows that regularly flossing and brushing your teeth helps promote good heart health. According to the Society of General Microbiology, bleeding gums associated with gum disease can significantly increase the incidence of heart disease. How? Infected gums can allow over 700 different types of bacteria that form in the mouth to enter the bloodstream. Once these toxins reach the bloodstream, they can give rise to the thinning of the arteries, which can eventually contribute to both heart disease and diabetes.

Last year a study carried out at the University of Connecticut showed that an intensive oral care treatment over a six-month period could help to cut back on the incidence of endothelial dysfunction, which affects the lining of blood vessels. That means brushing, flossing and rinsing at least twice a day, but preferably after each time you eat. But if you have bleeding or inflamed gums, I would advise not using one of those nifty battery-operated toothbrushes. It can irritate your gums and may even result in receding gums.

To discourage the growth of detrimental bacteria, look for toothpaste – and especially mouthwash – that contains green tea. Gargling with green tea not only fights bad breath, but also kills bacteria. Tea’s fluorine also makes teeth strong and effective against cavities and gingivitis. Can’t find a green tea mouthwash? Simply brew a cup, let it cool, and gargle away.

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References:

“An Oral Approach to Heart Disease.” MedicineNet. 11 Sept 2008.

Augood C. Oily fish consumption, dietary docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid intakes, and associations with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008;88:398-406.

Chong EW-T. Dietary omega-3 fatty acid and fish intake in the primary prevention of age-related macular degeneration: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Ophthalmology. 2008;126:826-833.

Miljanovic B. Relation between dietary n–3 and n–6 fatty acids and clinically diagnosed dry eye syndrome in women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2005;82: 887-893.

Richer S, et al. Double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of lutein and antioxidant supplementation in the intervention of atrophic age-related macular degeneration the Veterans LAST study (Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial). Optometry. 2004;75:1-15