An article in Science Daily reports a great way to prevent a problematic age related medical issue - macular degeneration. Men and women over 55 have an increased risk of early and late stage macular degeneration if they eat a diet full of high glycemic index foods.
The glycemic index measures how fast a food is broken down into one type of sugar, glucose, and the resulting spike and drop of blood sugar levels. Refined carbs tend to be high on the glycemic index, while whole foods, due to their water and fiber content, are much lower.
Allen Taylor, PhD, director of the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the USDA HNRCA analyzed diet questionnaires completed by 4,757 non-diabetic men and women. If you value your sight this is an easy was to prevent losing it. Taylor states, "Participants who consumed the most refined carbohydrates were 17 percent more likely to develop blinding Age related Macular Degeneration than the group that consumed the least."
The author of the study advocates starting now to in order to keep your eyesight healthy. He states that if eight percent of macular degeneration cases are prevented in the next five years, this could be equal to saving the sight of approximately 100,000 people.
This is a non-invasive, easy way to keep your sight well into retirement. Who wouldn't want to see their great-grand children? Eat your fruits and veggies, and reduce those refined carbs. Make it a lifelong habit! You could be saving your eyesight.
