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NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS AND YOUR EYES: Did your mother ever tell you, "eat your carrots... they are good for your eyes". Well, Mom has been proven right again. Medical doctors and clinical scientists around the world have published numerous studies in leading medical journals about the preventative role nutrition can play in the prevention and management of degenerative eye conditions and diseases. As we go through life, we tend to eat the same 8 or 10 foods every week. But as our bodies change, so do our nutritional needs.
Nutritional deficiencies which result from processed foods, poorly prepared foods or inadequate dietary intake can leave our eyes more vulnerable to sight threatening diseases. In fact, the eyes are frequently the first part of the body to be affected by nutritional deficiencies.
There are a number of other factors that can contribute to eye disease and degenerative conditions:
smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, environmental conditions and stress are some. Heredity may also be a factor.
Modern science has demonstrated that many so called hereditary diseases may actually be hereditary deficiencies, and many can be reversed through awareness and early treatment.The enemy: "Free Radicals". Many eye disorders have been scientifically linked to something called "free radicals". Free radicals are formed when the body processes food and oxygen to produce energy. They are unstable molecules with an extra electron. They pass through cells, sometimes in excessive amounts, disrupting the structure of other molecules which can result in cellular damage within the eye.
To strengthen the body's defenses to combat free-radical activity, many doctors recommend increasing antioxidant levels through diet and nutritional supplements.
The role of Antioxidants: Antioxidants are enzymes and nutrients that neutralize and deactivate free radicals. Antioxidants that occur naturally in the body or that are consumed through diet block most of the damage, but over time, damaged cells can accumulate in the eye and other tissues and lead to age related diseases such as macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and dry-eye syndrome.
Increasing appropriate levels of antioxidants may be the most effective method of slowing or preventing this type of cellular damage.
Not all antioxidants are the same. Some are "targeted", that is, have activity that is specific for certain chemicals which are concentrated in specific tissues such as the nerve layer of the retina or the walls of blood vessels.
The most potent antioxidants are compounds produced by plants during exposure to environmental stress and disease.
Extreme heat, cold and fungal disease and insect attacks seem to stimulate production of defense chemicals in plants. Many of these chemicals have been found to have beneficial effects on humans, and because these substances are, in small amounts, already a regular component of human diet, it is more likely that purified and concentrated drugs derived from them can be well tolerated in individuals.The National Institute of Health suggests five helpings of fresh fruit and vegetables daily to avoid vitamin deficiency, but much of the vitamin content is lost in processing and preparation in our usual diets, and so for maximum health, nutritional supplements may be the answer.
If you have any further questions regarding nutritional supplements, please consult your eye specialist.