American scientists have identified a link between poor diet and age-related eye degeneration.
Study participants who ate a diet high in red and processed meats, fried foods, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products were three times more likely to develop retinal disease.
This condition is called advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and is an irreversible disease that affects a person’s central vision, makes them unable to drive, and reduces the quality of daily life.
– It is in our interests to detect the disease at an early stage in order to prevent its development. That is why the discovery that diet plays a role in eye disease holds great promise, said researcher Shruti Dig.
It turns out that the Western diet, defined as high consumption of red and processed meats, fried foods, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products, may be a risk factor for developing advanced AMD.
In this study, we observed that people who did not have age-related macular degeneration at the beginning of our study and who reported frequent consumption of unhealthy foods were more likely to develop vision-threatening disease after about 18 years, continues study co-author Amy. Millen.
According to him, this scientific work provides additional evidence that diet matters for eye health. Now researchers can say bluntly that if you have early stage age-related macular degeneration, it’s in your best interest to limit your intake of processed meats, fried foods, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products so you don’t lose your eyesight as you age.