Eating a Mediterranean diet and caffeine consumption may decrease your chances of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading causes of blindness, according to a new study.
Mediterranean diet may help prevent macular degeneration
Eat a lot of fruits
Previous research has shown that a Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, healthy fats and fish – benefits the heart and reduces the risk of cancer. But there has been little research on the question of whether it helps to protect against eye diseases such as AMD, the researchers noted.
With the help of questionnaires, the researchers assessed the diets of 883 people, age of 55 years and more, to the Portugal. Among young people, 449 had early AMD and 434 had no disease of the eye.
Closely following a Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower risk of 35 percent of AMD, and eat a lot of fruit has been particularly beneficial.
The researchers also found that those who consumed high levels of caffeine seems to have a lower risk of AMD. Among those who consumed high levels of caffeine (about 78 milligrams per day, the equivalent of a dose of espresso) 54% had no AMD, and 45 percent had the disease of the eye.
According to the researchers, they looked to the consumption of caffeine, because it is a known antioxidant may protect against other health problems, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Effective preventive medicine
However, the study did not prove that coffee consumption and follow a Mediterranean diet caused AMD to lower risk.The findings were to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), in Chicago.
“This research adds to the evidence that a diet rich in fruits, healthy is important to health, including protection against macular degeneration,” lead author Dr. Rufino Silva, Professor of ophthalmology at the University of Coimbra, in the Portugal, said in a statement to press AAO.
“We also believe this book is a springboard for an effective preventive medicine of AMD,” said Silva. Research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until the publication in a scholarly journal.
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