BEIJING, Dec. 28 -- A diet rich in beta carotene, vitamins C and E, and zinc reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration(AMD) in elderly, says a new Dutch study.
Macular degeneration, a progressive eye condition, attacks the macula, where your sharpest central vision occurs. Sufferers are often debilitated and unable to read, recognize faces or drive, and the condition worsens with age.
The eight-year study involved more than 4,000 older residents of Rotterdam, Netherlands. It found that those whose diets included more than the median levels of vitamins C and E, beta carotene and zinc had a 35-percent reduced risk of AMD, compared with those whose diet provided a below-median level of any of the four nutrients.
Participants with a below-median consumption of all four of the nutrients had a 20-percent higher risk of developing AMD.
"This study suggests that the risk of age-related macular degeneration can be modified by diet, in particular, by dietary vitamin E and zinc," wrote lead author Dr. Redmer van Leeuwen of the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam.
Vitamin E is found in whole grains, vegetable oil, eggs and nuts; zinc in meat, poultry, fish, whole grains and dairy products; beta carotene in vegetables such as carrots, kale and spinach; and vitamin C in citrus fruits and juices, green peppers, broccoli and potatoes.
Based on this study, foods high in these nutrients appear to be more important than nutritional supplements.
The findings appear in the Dec. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
(Agencies)
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