Macular Degeneration Articles

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This page contains medical journal articles and/or doctors' commentaries on the role of mineral deficiencies and other factors in illness, and the value of minerals, vitamins, and a proper diet for healthy living.

Macular Degeneration Articles...

Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in elderly Americans. AMD (age-related macular degeneration) occurs when abnormal blood vessels leak fluid and blood into the tissue at the back of the eye, leading to blistering and scarring of the retina. The disease affects central vision needed for reading, driving and recognizing faces, but patients are often able to detect colors and see with their peripheral vision.

While supplements did not restore vision that had already been lost, they slowed the progression of vision loss in some individuals with intermediate or advanced AMD. These individuals "should consider taking a supplement of antioxidants plus zinc," according to the researchers from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research group.

In the study, more than 3,600 people aged 55 to 80 years at risk for AMD received a daily dietary supplement. The supplement consisted of either 500 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, 400 international units of vitamin E and 15 mg of beta-carotene; 80 mg of zinc and 2 mg of copper; antioxidants and zinc; or an inactive pill (placebo).

Study participants at high risk of developing vision loss associated with AMD who took antioxidants and zinc were less likely than those who took only antioxidants or only zinc to lose their vision over the 6-year study. Individuals who took a placebo were the most likely to develop advanced AMD and vision loss. Even among those who took a daily multivitamin in addition to the assigned supplement, the high-dose supplement was associated with a decreased risk of vision loss. Although the nutrients found in the supplements occur naturally in many foods, sufficient levels may be difficult to obtain through diet alone.

In a related study, the supplements did not reduce the risk of cataracts in the same group of patients over 7 years.

Archives of Ophthalmology October 2001
119:1417-1436, 1439-1452, 1533-1534

DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:
(©Copyright 1997-2002 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved. Web site: http://www.mercola.com. Newsletters are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola. They are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and they are not intended as medical advice. They are intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.)

The research was funded by the National Eye Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. Bausch & Lomb provided the supplements used in the studies. Individual researchers have no financial stake in the supplements used in the study. In other words this was a clean study. Something most unusual in the past few years. What amazes me is the profound benefit that was observed despite not receiving even more profoundly effective supplements for AMD.

How Can You Prevent the Most Common Cause of Blindness?

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main cause of visual impairment in Western countries. It affects the central region of the retina, the macula lutea, at which visual acuity is the greatest.

What is the macula? The macula is a small area just two millimeters wide, located in the back of the eye, in the middle portion of the retina. The center portion of the macula is referred to as the fovea, and it is responsible for central vision.

Imagine being unable to tell what time it is. Imagine being unable to recognize a loved one's face. Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of irreversible blindness among Americans age 65 and older. Prevent Blindness America estimates that 13 million people in this country have evidence of AMD.

For reasons scientists have yet to pinpoint, parts of the retina and the macula become diseased. As AMD progresses, tiny, fragile blood vessels begin to develop in the retina. These vessels often leak blood and fluid that damages the retina even further.

Some warning signs of AMD:
· Blurred vision (may be the first symptom)
· Straight lines begin to appear crooked
· Dark or empty spaces may block central vision

There is pigment in the macula that possibly acts as a blue-light filter to protect the macular region against oxidation by light. In addition, this macular pigment can scavenge free radicals.

The carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin are the predominant pigments in this area. Some studies have shown a reduced risk of AMD in subjects with a higher intake of lutein and zeaxanthin or higher plasma concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin.

Ophthalmology. October 2002;109(10):1780-7.

DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:
(©Copyright 1997-2002 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved. Web site: http://www.mercola.com. Newsletters are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola. They are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and they are not intended as medical advice. They are intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.)

Lutein (LOO-teen) is a carotenoid found in vegetables and fruits. Lutein is just as important to health, or more so, than beta-carotene.

Lutein acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells against the damaging effects of free radicals.

· Lutein is not made in the body.
· Lutein must be obtained from food or vitamin supplements.
· Lutein is found in large amounts in green, leafy vegetables such as spinach.

In persons who eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables, it has been found that the risk of age-related macular degeneration decreases some 43 percent. However, most Americans simply don't eat enough fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids, such as lutein. Ask yourself the following questions:

· Are you too busy to eat healthy meals?
· Do you eat a lot of fast food?
· Do you not eat enough dark green, leafy vegetables?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are you're not getting enough lutein in your diet. Lutein is easy to add to your diet if you eat plenty of spinach and other green, leafy vegetables. Every time you eat a spinach salad or a serving of kale or turnip greens, your body is getting high levels of lutein.

The problem is that a lot of people don't like these foods or don't eat enough of them. So how do you get enough lutein in your diet? How much lutein is enough? Nutrition experts currently use 6 milligrams a day as a reliable guideline.

Lutein Sources
Best food sources Per 1/2 cup
Kale, cooked 10mg
Collard greens, cooked 7.7mg
Spinach, raw 3.3mg
cooked 6.3mg
Broccoli, raw 1mg
cooked 1.7mg
Brussels sprouts, cooked 1.7mg
Corn, cooked 1.2mg

Lutein is one of over 650 carotenoids. Beta-carotene is probably the most famous of the carotenoids. The bioavailability of carotenoids is determined by the food source and interactions with other items in it. Studies with beta-carotene and lycopene have shown that association with a lipid matrix increases the bioavailability of these carotenoids. Carotenoids in the plant will decrease their bioavailability.

That is why there is a difference in the table above in cooked vegetables having more lutein. However, when you break down the plant cell by decreasing food particle size as you do in juicing, you maximize the bioavailablity of the carotenoids and all other nutrients-far more so than cooking. Unfortunately, most all of the nutrient databases don't acknowledge this, and there are no references that one can cite to demonstrate this.

It is important to note that lutein is an oil-soluble nutrient, and if you merely consume the above vegetables without some oil or butter you can't absorb the lutein. So if you are consuming vegetable juice, it would be wise to use some olive or cod liver oil in the juice to maximize your lutein absorption, as well as the absorption of other important nutrients like vitamin K. Most people don't know that lutein is also present in egg yolks. There is about 0.25 mg in each egg yolk-in a highly absorbable nearly ideal form, especially if you don't cook it. Egg yolks also have zeaxanthin in an equal amount. Zeaxanthin is another carotenoid that is likely to be equally as effective as lutein in preventing macular degeneration.

If you consume four raw egg yolks per day mixed in with your vegetable pulp, you will be getting 1 mg a day of lutein and zeaxanthin. Your absorption of each will be close to 100 percent, which may be the equivalent of consuming half a cup of unjuiced kale or collards. I consume about one cup of juiced collards in my quart of juice in the morning, along with four raw egg yolks in my pulp. This means that I am likely getting close to 20 mg of lutein a day, and I am quite certain that macular degeneration is not in my future.

Essense-of-Life, LLC is NOT ASSOCIATED in any way with the Eniva Corporation, Rainbow Minerals, Wolf Clinic or Nutrition 2000. (...more)

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MACULAR DEGENERATION ARTICLES