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Blog author, Solai Buchanan is an experienced Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator with an MS from Columbia Teachers College. She specializes in treating heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, polycystic ovarian syndrome,and other chronic diseases. She is a provider at a full-service cardiology practice accepting most insurance and staffed with a primary care MD, pediatrician, and cardiologist. Call: 718.894.7907. NYCC is lead by Interventional Cardiologist Sanjeev Palta, MD, FSCAI, FACC. He trained at Cornell-Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and the State University Hospital of Brooklyn. He currently is an Attending Cardiologist at New York Methodist Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Having performed over 2000 invasive cardiac procedures Dr. Palta’s patients know they are in trusted hands.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

DIET RICH IN ORANGE & DARK GREEN VEGGIES DECREASES RISK OF MACULAR DEGENERATION

A recent analysis tracking more than 100,000 individuals for over 20 years has found that persons who consume a diet rich in orange and dark green vegetables have lower rates of severe age-related macular degeneration (AMD).  AMD, in which the center part of the retina fails, is one of the most common causes of vision loss.  In previous studies, carotenoids, the pigments responsible for the bright orange and dark green colors of vegetables and fruits have been linked to fewer age-related vision problems.

In this recent analysis researchers tracked the dietary patterns and health outcomes of adults age 50 and older.  They found  people who consumed vegetables rich in phyto-pigments lutein and zeaxanthin most frequently, had a 40% lower risk of advanced AMD compared to those who consumed these foods least frequently.  Those consuming a diet highest in pigments cryptoxanthin, alpha carotene, and beta carotene had a 35% decreased risk of advanced AMD.  The researchers noted that carotenoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and others concentrate in the macula, where they are thought to help protect it from the harmful effects of oxygen and sunlight.

What to do:  Consume a diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables.  The foods highest in lutein and zeaxanthin  include  winter and summer squash, peas, corn, beet greens, pumpkin, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach, romaine, kale, asparagus, goji berries, and carrots.  Rich food sources of cryptoxanthin and alpha- and beta-carotene are generally orange including carrots, orange & red peppers, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, papayas, and tangerines.

Adapted from article available at:
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_155057.html

Source:

Wu J, Cho E, Willett WC, Sastry SM, & Schaumberg DA. Intakes of lutein, zeaxanthin, and other carotenoids and age-related macular degeneration during 2 decades of prospective follow-up.  JAMA Ophthalmology. Published online ahead of print October 08, 2015. DOI:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2015.3590.

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