Vitamins C E Beta Carotene and Zinc help Prevent Macular Degeneration (AMD)

December 30th 2005

Carrots High in Beta Carotene

Research indicates that eating a diet rich in beta carotene, vitamins C and E, and zinc will substantially reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This is one of the leading causes of blindness in older people.

Your mother may have been right: Eating carrots will help your eyesight. People who eat high levels of vitamin E and zinc in their diet reduced their risk of AMD by 10%. By adding beta carotene (found in carrots) and vitamin C people are able to reduce the risk by 35%.

The Netherlands researchers studied the diets of 4,170 people for as long as 14 years. The study found that eating the food rather than taking supplements was more effective. These foods include citrus fruits, broccoli, spinach, carrots, eggs, nuts, vegetable oil and whole grains, according to NPR.

Study participants were asked to fill out questionnaires concerning their diet. All of the participants were picked because they were at risk of AMD. They all were given periodic eye exams.

The research found the reverse to be true. People that ate below average amounts of these nutrients had a 20% increased risk of developing AMD.

A previous study found that by raising the levels of vitamin C, E, beta carotene and zinc with early stages of the AMD or late stages of single-eye AMD resulted in a 25 percent reduction in the progression of the disease after 5 years. This is according to Forbes.

Macular degeneration is a progressive eye disease that attacks the macula, where your sharpest central vision occurs. The condition affects 15 million people in the United States but rarely causes complete blindness. AMD will cause the individual to lose all but their outermost peripheral vision leaving the dim images or black holes at the center. The article was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).