Save your eyes

My eyes are really sensitive. When I was little, I was allergic to something that caused them to puff up so badly in the mornings that I couldn’t see. These days I have chronic dry eye and allergy flare-ups that make them burn and itch. I’m also really near-sighted…so, walking around without my glasses or contacts is just not an option. Knowing that my eyes need extra care, I try to drink tons of liquid and cater my diet to eye-friendly fare.

You can bet I was happy this morning to read some new research on diet and healthy eyes.

CNN Health reports that newly published studies from the U.S. and Australia found that healthy fats can reduce your risk of age-related macular degeneration (the eye disease called AMD).

Scientists from the University of Sydney studied 2,454 men and women for about 10 years. They found that “people who ate a serving of fish every week were 31 percent less likely to develop early AMD than those who did not.” In addition, those who ate a few servings of nuts every week were 35% less likely to develop AMD.

Another study from the University of Melbourne followed over 6,700 people ages 58-69. The researchers found that “those who consumed the most omega-3 fatty acids were at 15 percent lower risk of early-stage AMD.” Those who consumed the most olive oil were about 50% less likely to develop late AMD.

Elizabeth Johnson, Ph.D. is a research scientist who works at the Carotenoids and Health Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston. Johnson says that our nervous tissue and retinas both contain a lot of omega-3 fats, especially DHA. The link between omega-3s and healthy eyesight just makes sense.

Healthy fats already play a big role in my daily diet, but here’s to having more reasons to eat olive oil, nuts, avocados, fish, and flax!

taken from : China Daily