Reuters Health News
Published: 30 July, 2007



Dietary carbs linked to vision loss

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The carbohydrates present in a diet can influence the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of vision loss in older adults, according to a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"AMD appears to share several carbohydrate-related mechanisms and risk factors with diabetes-related diseases, including (eye) and cardiovascular disease," write Dr. Allen Taylor, of Tufts University, Boston, and colleagues. "However, to date, only one small study has addressed this issue."

To investigate further, the researchers conducted a study of 4,099 participants, aged 55 to 80 years, in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study.

The team classified a total of 8,125 eyes into one of five AMD groups based on the severity of the disease and other factors.

Regular consumption of a diet with a high-glycemic index - a diet containing carbs that quickly raise blood sugar levels -- significantly increased the risk of AMD relative to regular consumption of a diet with a low-glycemic index.

The researchers calculate that 20 percent of AMD cases could have been prevented if subjects had consumed diets with a low-glycemic index.


http://www.reuters.com/article/heal...R10182620070731

Vitamin A is fat-soluble in animal fat, so crowding out meat and dairy seems like a bad idea. It sounds crazy but I swear my eyesight has gotten better on low-carb.

Janine

Can I eat carbs at least until I need to wear glasses?

OK, so when are nutritionists and health agencies going to apologise for forcing the food pyramid down people's throats and thus causing *blindness*??

Ummm ... governmental bodies have never been too good at accepting blame for things ... so I'm betting on never. What you putting your bet on?

e

Researchers from Tufts University, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging detail new studies and findings in the area of macular degeneration risk factors

NewsRx.com

08-16-07

A new study, "Association between dietary glycemic index and age-related macular degeneration in nondiabetic participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study," is now available. "Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the major cause of irreversible blindness. AMD appears to share several carbohydrate-related mechanisms and risk factors with diabetes-related diseases, including retinopathy and cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, to date, only one small study has addressed this issue," scientists writing in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition report.

"The objective was to test the hypothesis that dietary glycemic index (dGI), which has been related to the risk of diabetes and CVD, is associated with the risk and severity of AMD in nondiabetic elderly populations. Dietary information was obtained from 4099 participants aged 55-80 y (56% women) in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). A total of 8125 eligible eyes at baseline were classified into 1 of 5 AMD groups according to the size and extent of drusen, the presence of geographic atrophy, and neovascular changes. We used a generalized estimating approach to evaluate the relations between dGI and risk and severity of AMD with eyes as the unit of analysis. Compared with eyes in the first quintile of dGI, eyes in the fourth and fifth quintiles had a significantly or suggestively higher risk of large drusen, geographic atrophy, and neovascularization. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (95% CIs) for the highest quintile were 1.42 (1.09, 1.84), 1.78 (0.81, 3.90), and 1.41 (0.95, 2.08), respectively, of which only the odds ratio for large drusen was significant. A significant positive relation between dGI and severity of AMD was also noted (P for trend orw.9; men: >ory.3)," wrote C.J. Chiu and colleagues, Tufts University, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

The researchers concluded: "This result indicated that 20% of prevalent cases of AMD would have been eliminated if the AREDS participants consumed diets with a dGI below the median. The association between dGI and AMD from the AREDS cross-sectional analysis at baseline suggests that a reduction in the dGI, a modifiable risk factor, may provide a means of diminishing the risk of AMD."

Chiu and colleagues published their study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Association between dietary glycemic index and age-related macular degeneration in nondiabetic participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2007;86(1):180-8).

Additional information can be obtained by contacting C.J. Chiu, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Jean Mayer US Dept. of Agriculture, Boston, MA 02111 USA..

The publisher of the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition can be contacted at: American Society Clinical Nutrition, 9650 Rockville Pike, Subscriptions, RM L-3300, Bethesda, MD 20814-3998, USA.

Keywords: United States, Boston, Macular Degeneration Risk Factors, Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Alternative Medicine, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Eye Disease, Macular Degeneration, Therapy, Treatment.

This article was prepared by Pain & Central Nervous System Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2007, Pain & Central Nervous System Week via NewsRx.com.

To see more of the NewsRx.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.newsrx.com .

http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNew...1&Section=AGING

ScienceDaily Online
8 October, 2007


Limiting Refined Carbohydrates May Stall AMD Progression

Eating fewer refined carbohydrates may slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a new study from researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

AMD results in partial or total blindness in 7 to 15% of the elderly, according to the Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group. "Dietary changes may be the most practical and cost-effective prevention method to combat progression of AMD," says Allen Taylor, PhD, director of the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the USDA HNRCA. "It is surprising there is so little attention focused on the relationship between AMD and carbohydrates."

The current study, published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, builds on a recent analysis by Taylor and colleagues that found men and women older than 55 who consumed diets with higher-than-average dietary glycemic index foods appeared to have an increased risk for both early and later stages of AMD.

Dietary glycemic index is a scale used to determine how quickly carbohydrates are broken down into blood sugar, or glucose. Foods with a high glycemic index are associated with a faster rise and subsequent drop in blood sugar. Refined carbohydrates like white bread and white rice have high glycemic indices. Whole wheat versions of rice, pasta and bread are examples of foods with low glycemic indices.

In the present study, Taylor and colleagues analyzed diet questionnaires completed by 4,757 non-diabetic men and women participating in the nationwide Age-Releated Eye Disease Study (AREDS). The eight-year AREDS study enrolled participants between the ages of 55 and 80 with varying stages of AMD. Taylor and colleagues examined the participants' carbohydrate intake over a one-year period and used the data to calculate the participants' dietary glycemic index.

"Our data showed those people in the high-glycemic-index group were at greater risk of AMD progression, especially those already in the late stages," says first author Chung-Jung Chiu, DDS, PhD, scientist in the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the USDA HNRCA and assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. "Participants who consumed the most refined carbohydrates were 17 percent more likely to develop blinding AMD than the group that consumed the least."

According to the authors, public health officials believe the condition could spur a public health crisis in the United States by 2020, when they predict the cases of AMD-related vision loss will have doubled to three million.

"No one has been able to identify an effective noninvasive intervention that will slow the progression of AMD" says Taylor, who is also a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts and Tufts University School of Medicine. "We feel we have identified a risk factor that could postpone the debilitating loss of vision with very little economic or personal hardship. Based on our data, limiting refined carbohydrate intake, such as by limiting sweetened drinks or exchanging white bread for whole wheat, in at-risk elderly could reduce the number of advanced AMD cases by 8 percent in five years. This can equate to saving the sight of approximately 100,000 people."

The authors note that their findings warrant randomized controlled clinical trials.

The study was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service and by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Johnson and Johnson Focused Giving Program, and the American Health Assistance Foundation.

Reference: Chiu C-J, Milton RC, Klein R, Gensler G, and Taylor A. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007 (October) ; 86: 1210-1218. "Dietary carbohydrate and the progression of age-related macular degeneration: a prospective study from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study."



http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...71008080203.htm

Eating for Eye Health

(My headline is more accurate than hers, but we can't stress that eliminating carbs helps something too much, can we?)

May 7, 2009, 11:44 am
Tara Parker Pope

Eating a diet rich in leafy vegetables, nuts and fish and low in starchy carbohydrates appears to lower risk for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over 50.

The findings, published this month in the journal Ophthalmology, is the first to calculate the combined effect of certain dietary nutrients and eating habits on a person’s risk for age-related macular degeneration. The data were collected from 4,003 participants in the ongoing Age-Related Eye Disease Study led by researchers at the Tufts University Jean Mayer U.S.D.A. Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

The dietary nutrients linked with lower risk for macular degeneration are vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin and the omega-3 fatty acids known as D.H.A. and E.P.A. Notably, the nutrient often associated with eye health, beta carotene, was not linked with lower risk for macular degeneration.

The greatest benefit was seen among participants who regularly consumed a combination of the protective nutrients as part of a low-glycemic index diet. The glycemic index ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on blood glucose levels. Processed foods like white bread and pastries, as well as starchy carbohydrates like potatoes, have a higher glycemic index because they are digested and absorbed quickly, producing rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels. Lower glycemic index foods, such as most vegetables, protein and nuts, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels.

The protective nutrients linked with eye health are typically found in fruits, green vegetables, nuts and cold-water fish. Citrus fruits are a good source of Vitamin C. Food sources of vitamin E include green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts and vegetable oils. Beans, nuts, seafood and whole grains are sources of zinc. Food sources of lutein and zeaxanthin include eggs, kale, spinach, turnip greens, romaine lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, garden peas and Brussels sprouts. Fatty fish such as salmon is a good dietary source of the omega-3 fatty acids D.H.A. and E.P.A.

Scientists aren’t sure what causes macular degeneration, but risk factors include aging, cigarette smoking, family history and obesity. Women and Caucasians also are at increased risk. Although the disease has a strong genetic component, a growing body of research shows that healthy behaviors can lower risk. People with macular degeneration lose the central vision in their eye. This vision loss simulator shows how vision changes as macular degeneration worsens.

The title of this article should be something like:

"Anti-saturated fat and anti-cholesterol propaganda has led to dramatic increase in AMD"

An important source of readily usable forms of Vitamins A and E is BUTTER!!! Here in Germany, I am able to buy a product called "Butaris", which is 99.8% butter fat. I use it for nearly all my frying. It has now got some new marketing strategists who have started a new sales tack, saying that it contains "lots of" the vitamins A, D (I disagree about the "lots" in that case) and E. OK, so, eat butter, get lots of Vits A and E!

Zinc? Why not try meat??? Or liver??? Why don't you ever see red meat and liver at the top of these lists of supposedly "good dietary sources" of this, that and the other??? Why is always a bunch of vegetables, which you'd have to eat by the truckload to get any decent amount, and, two, you wouldn't absorb the nutrients in these veggies unless you added, say, butter??? But, no, you gotta steam your veggies and, under no circumstances, add butter, cos of that nasty cholesterol... GRRRRRR

As for those unspellable items, lutein and zeaxanthin, eggs are indeed the best source for these, providing the most "bio-available" versions of these nutrients. I must say I was pleasantly surprised that eggs got a mention in this article, as they are usually missing from this list. It seems - thank goodness - that eggs are slowly but surely being rehabilitated, which is, of course, a good thing, but not a lot of good to the people who avoided eggs and butter for years and now have AMD as a result. I think eggs also have a lot of zinc, too.

As for vitamin C, one theory (I think Taubes mentions this) is that a high-carb diet "uses up" a lot of vitamin C, whereas an all-meat diet contains a lot of nutrients which are able to recycle vitamin C, meaning that not much actually has to be consumed in the diet.

So, according to the information I have looked up and read over the last couple of years, if you eat eggs, red meat and butter, you will be getting all the eye-protective nutrients you need. Throw in some broccoli or spinach, doused in butter, and you'll be doing your eyes a lot of good! And you won't be eating lots of carbs which will be eating up all your body's vitamin C, either!!!



Sorry to be arrogant, but I'm not!!! I get so angry when I read these things, because I truly believe that if today's senior citizens hadn't drastically curbed their egg, butter and red meat consumption, due to the low-fat, anti-sat-fat propaganda, over the last thirty years or so, then they wouldn't be suffering from AMD in such high numbers. Last summer I visited some relatives of ours who are in their 70s, one of whom, a woman, has AMD. Whilst we were eating, her husband went into the kitchen and returned with some margarine, and put this on his bread, instead of the butter, which was also available. No doubt his wife had warned him about the dangers of high cholesterol. And I would bet they have stayed away from eggs and red meat for many years, too...

It is truly truly sad how this misleading guidelines have actually promoted disease rather than prevented it...

amanda

It is sad, Amanda. Politics aside I'm sure many of the people preaching from the low-fat bible over the years have meant well but it's been a dietary disaster, ESPECIALLY for diabetics. I read an interview with Gary Taubes recently where he admitted that even when he went on low carb it initially felt "counter-intuitive." The years of biased and faulty information even left him spooked.

VITAMIN A - enough said.

And no, all those vegtables are useless, beta-carotene is converted to retinol.

Eat your liver, egg yolks, and cheese, cream, butter.

I read somewhere that not everybody is able to convert the beta-carotene in vegetables to vitamin A (Sally Fallon, in "Nourishing Traditons", I do believe) so if you rely on only vegetables for your Vitamin A, then you may be raising your risk of getting AMD if you have this particular condition. Better to have your green veggies with butter and get lots of varied sources of Vitamin A in your diet.

amanda