Aging Women Lower Their Risk of Cataracts with
Healthy Diet: More Vitamins, Minerals
Adherence to U.S. dietary guidelines more strongly
related to the lower occurrence of nuclear cataracts than any other
modifiable risk factor
June
14, 2010 Cataracts, the visual impairment that becomes more common as
people age, could be less prevalent among women if aging women ate more
foods rich in vitamins and minerals, says a new study reported in the
June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals. By age 80, half of all Americans male and female have
experienced a cataract.
Although cataracts are the most important cause of
blindness in the world and the most common cause of visual impairment
due to eye disease in the U.S., there has been limited studies in
which nutritional risk factors have been evaluated concurrently with a
comprehensive set of other lifestyle, ocular health and physical risk
factors," according to the report.
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This study looked at the records of 1,808 women who
participated in the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease study,
residing in Iowa, Wisconsin and Oregon.
Julie A. Mares, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin,
Madison, and colleagues made estimates of daily food and nutrition
intake from previous responses to a semi-quantitative food frequency
questionnaire used at the time as part of the Women's Health Initiative
study.
Additionally, "adherence to the 1990 dietary
guidelines for Americans and the 1992 food guide pyramid, reflecting
dietary recommendations at the time women entered the Women's Health
Initiative, was estimated by the 1995 Healthy Eating Index scores
adapted to this questionnaire."
According to the study, nuclear cataract was common
in the sample with 29 percent (454 women) reporting the eye disease with
a lens in at least one eye. Nuclear cataracts are also the most common
in all people. This cataract forms thkrough natural aging in the center
of the lens the nucleus.
Additionally, 282 women (16 percent) had reported
cataract extractions in either eye.
Overall, 736 women (41 percent) had either nuclear
cataracts evident from lens photographs or reported having a cataract
extracted.
"Results from this study indicate that healthy
diets, which reflect adherence to the U.S. dietary guidelines at the
time of entry in the Women's Health Initiative study, are more strongly
related to the lower occurrence of nuclear cataracts than any other
modifiable risk factor or protective factor studied in this sample of
women," the study states.
"In conclusion, this study adds to the body of
literature suggesting that healthy diets are associated with lower risk
for cataract," the authors write. "Lifestyle improvements that include
healthy diets, smoking cessation, and avoiding obesity may substantively
lower the need for and economic burden of cataract surgery in aging
American women."
This study was supported by grants from the
National Institutes of Health and by Research to Prevent Blindness. It
was part of the Carotenoids and Age-Related Eye Disease Study (CAREDS),
an ancillary study of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). The National
Eye Institute provided funding for the CAREDS, and the National Hearth,
Lung and Blood Institute provided funding for the WHI.
About Cataracts by
National Eye Institute
What is a cataract?
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye
that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are
very common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans
either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.
A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It
cannot spread from one eye to the other.
Common symptoms
are
● Blurry vision
● Colors that seem faded
● Glare
● Not being able to see well at night
● Double vision
● Frequent prescription changes in your eye wear
Cataracts usually develop slowly. New glasses,
brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses or magnifying lenses can help
at first. Surgery is also an option. It involves removing the cloudy
lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. Wearing sunglasses and a
hat with a brim to block ultraviolet sunlight may help to delay
cataracts.
What
is the lens?
The lens is a clear part of the eye that helps to
focus light, or an image, on the retina. The retina is the
light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
In a normal eye, light passes through the
transparent lens to the retina. Once it reaches the retina, light is
changed into nerve signals that are sent to the brain.
The lens must be clear for the retina to receive a
sharp image. If the lens is cloudy from a cataract, the image you see
will be blurred.
Are there other types of cataract?
Yes. Although most cataracts are related to aging,
there are other types of cataract:
● Secondary cataract. Cataracts can form
after surgery for other eye problems, such as glaucoma. Cataracts also
can develop in people who have other health problems, such as diabetes.
Cataracts are sometimes linked to steroid use.
● Traumatic cataract. Cataracts can
develop after an eye injury, sometimes years later.
● Congenital cataract. Some babies are
born with cataracts or develop them in childhood, often in both eyes.
These cataracts may be so small that they do not affect vision. If they
do, the lenses may need to be removed.
● Radiation cataract. Cataracts can
develop after exposure to some types of radiation.
What causes cataracts?
The lens lies behind the iris and the pupil (see
diagram). It works much like a camera lens. It focuses light onto the
retina at the back of the eye, where an image is recorded. The lens also
adjusts the eye's focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and
far away. The lens is made of mostly water and protein. The protein is
arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and lets light pass
through it.
But as we age, some of the protein may clump
together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a
cataract. Over time, the cataract may grow larger and cloud more of the
lens, making it harder to see.
Researchers suspect that there are several causes
of cataract, such as smoking and diabetes. Or, it may be that the
protein in the lens just changes from the wear and tear it takes over
the years.
How can cataracts affect my vision?
Age-related cataracts can affect your vision in
two ways:
1. Clumps of protein reduce the sharpness of the
image reaching the retina.
The lens consists mostly of water and protein. When the protein clumps
up, it clouds the lens and reduces the light that reaches the retina.
The clouding may become severe enough to cause blurred vision. Most
age-related cataracts develop from protein clumpings.
When a cataract is small, the cloudiness affects
only a small part of the lens. You may not notice any changes in your
vision. Cataracts tend to "grow" slowly, so vision gets worse gradually.
Over time, the cloudy area in the lens may get larger, and the cataract
may increase in size. Seeing may become more difficult. Your vision may
get duller or blurrier.
2. The clear lens slowly changes to a
yellowish/brownish color, adding a brownish tint to vision.
As the clear lens slowly colors with age, your
vision gradually may acquire a brownish shade. At first, the amount of
tinting may be small and may not cause a vision problem. Over time,
increased tinting may make it more difficult to read and perform other
routine activities. This gradual change in the amount of tinting does
not affect the sharpness of the image transmitted to the retina.
If you have advanced lens discoloration, you may not be able to identify
blues and purples. You may be wearing what you believe to be a pair of
black socks, only to find out from friends that you are wearing purple
socks.
When are you most likely to have a cataract?
The term "age-related" is a little misleading. You
don't have to be a senior citizen to get this type of cataract. In fact,
people can have an age-related cataract in their 40s and 50s. But during
middle age, most cataracts are small and do not affect vision. It is
after age 60 that most cataracts steal vision.
Who is at risk for cataract?
The risk of cataract increases as you get older.
Other risk factors for cataract include:
● Certain diseases such as diabetes.
● Personal behavior such as smoking and alcohol use.
● The environment such as prolonged exposure to sunlight.
June
14, 2010 Cataracts, the visual impairment that becomes more common as
people age, could be less prevalent among women if aging women ate more
foods rich in vitamins and minerals, says a new study reported in the
June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals. By age 80, half of all Americans male and female have
experienced a cataract.
What
is the lens?