A healthy diet delays cataracts

Charlyn Fargo, Contributor

Your mother was right when she said that carrots were good for your eyes - but there are many other fruits and vegetables that can help as well. A study in the Archives of Ophthalmology finds that a diet high in fruits and vegetables may help to delay cataract development by at least two and a half years.

The study analysed data on 1,808 women, age 50 to 79, who answered questions about their diets, supplement use, smoking, exercise and other behaviours. They also underwent eye exams. Overall, 41 per cent of the women had evidence of cataracts severe enough to warrant surgery in at least one eye or reported having had cataract surgery. However, researchers found that the women who maintained diets highest in fruits and vegetables and lowest in fats had a 37 per cent lower risk of cataracts than the women with less healthy diets.

Recommended levels

The foods that contributed to higher diet scores were intakes at or above recommended levels for vegetables, fruits, grains, milk and meat (or beans, fish and eggs) and below recommended levels for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Taking vitamins and supplements didn't show the same results.

"Fruits and vegetables in particular are high in antioxidants, which counter the effects of naturally occurring molecules called free radicals, which are thought to damage cells and contribute to systemic inflammation," said Dr Kevin Miller, professor of clinical ophthalmology at UCLA Health System.

According to the UCLA Healthy Years newsletter, here are the daily targets for healthier eyes: two cups fruits, two and a half cups vege-tables, three cups low-fat/fat-free milk or equivalent, total fat intake between 20 and 35 per cent of calories, less than 10 per cent of calories from saturated fats, and strict limitation of trans-fat consumption.

Berry health

Q: I'm confused by all the competing claims about different berries. Is there one that offers more health protection than the others?

A: All berries offer health benefits, so enjoy a variety. Strawberries are highest in vitamin C, yet all are good sources. A cup of most berries - about two servings - will supply a third of the recommended amounts to the complete target.

Actually, much of the health-promoting power of fruits and vegetables comes not from the classic antioxidant vitamin C, but from natural protective compounds in plants called phytochemicals. Antioxidants attract and neutralise highly reactive molecules called free radicals that can damage body cells in ways that lead to cancer and heart disease.

Yet focusing only on antioxidant power - and systems that rate that power - misses the big picture. Many phytochemicals in berries may also help protect against cancer and other chronic diseases by decreasing inflammation and stimulating self-destruction of abnormal cells.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian at Creators Syndicate at www.creators.com.