Cataracts are defined as “a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision”.  They are the most common cause of blindness worldwide¹ and affect more than half of all Americans over the age of 80². 

 

More than 1.5 million cataract operations are performed in the U.S. alone each year³, costing our healthcare system over $3.4 billion each year⁴.  There are a number of ways to help maintain eye health, including superoxide dismutase⁵, following a diet low on the glycemic index⁶, which ranks carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to how much they raise blood sugar levels after eating⁷, and antioxidant supplementation⁸.  Now a new study⁹ has found that vitamin E benefits eye health and  cataracts. 

 

Previous research has shown that those supplementing with vitamin E for 10 years have a 42% reduced risk of cataracts¹⁰.  Building on these findings, 57 patients with cataracts and 31 patients without cataracts provided information on whether they were taking vitamin supplements, smoked, or had any systemic disease.  They also provided blood samples to measure their antioxidant levels.  The researchers found that those with cataracts had vitamin E blood levels that were 31% lower than those without cataracts (9.16 + 2.53 micrograms per ml vs. 13.26 + 57 micrograms/ml).  These results confirm studies done in 1988¹¹ and 1996¹².

 

Although admitting that this is a small study, the researchers concluded that “it can nonetheless be viewed…that antioxidative agents may play a role in delaying cataract formation” and that “we encourage individuals to maintain healthy nutrition, with a diet containing plenty of antioxidant vitamins.”

 

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at mailto:PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.CompleteChiropracticHealthcare.com

 

Reference:

 

¹  Foster A, Johnson GJ. Magnitude and causes of blindness in the developing world. Int Ophthalmol 1990;14:135-40

  

²  National Eye Institute Website

 

³  Schein OD, Katz J, Bass EB, et al. The value of routine preoperative medical testing before cataract surgery. N Engl J Med 2000; 342: 168–75

 

⁴  Steinberg EP, Javitt JC, Sharkey PD, et al. The content and cost of cataract surgery. Arch Ophthalmol 1993; 111: 1041–9

 

⁵  Reddy VN.  SOD2 Protects against Oxidation-Induced Apoptosis in Mouse Retinal Pigment Epithelium: Implications for Age-Related Macular Degeneration.  Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2005 46: 3426-3434

 

⁶  Chiu CJ.  Dietary carbohydrate intake and glycemic index in relation to cortical and nuclear lens opacities in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study.  Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, May 2006; 83: 1177 – 1184

 

⁷  “The Glycemic Index” posted on http://www.glycemicindex.com/

 

⁸  Chylack, L.T., Jr., et al., The Roche European American Cataract Trial (REACT): a randomized clinical trial to investigate the efficacy of an oral antioxidant micronutrient mixture to slow progression of age-related cataract. Ophthalmic Epidemiol, 2002. 9(1): p. 49-80

 

⁹  Nourmohammadi I.  Association of Serum alpha-Tocopherol, Retinol and Ascorbic Acid with the Risk of Cataract Development.  Ann Nutr Metab 2008;52:296-298  (DOI:10.1159/000148189)

 

¹⁰  Jacques PF.  Long-term Nutrient Intake and 5-Year Change in Nuclear Lens Opacities.  Arch Ophthalmol. 2005;123:517-526

  

¹¹  Jacques PF, Chylack LT, McGandy RB, Hartz SC: Antioxidant status in persons with and without senile cataract. Arch Ophthalmol 1988; 106: 337–676.

 

¹²  Rouhiainen P, Rouhiainen H, Salonen JT: Association between low plasma vitamin E concentration and progression of early cortical lens opacities. Am J Epidemiol 1996; 144: 496–500