Multivitamins and antioxidants reduce cataracts in men and women.

Article by Arnie Gitomer

Nutrients reduce chances of cataract in men and women

Multivitamins in men

   In cataract, one of the most common causes of age-related blindness, the inner lens of the eye becomes cloudy, preventing light from reaching the retina. In this large, long-term study of 14,641 male physicians, aged at least 50, participants took a placebo or a daily multivitamin. Over an average follow-up of more than 11 years, compared to placebo, men who had taken multivitamins were 9 percent less likely to have developed cataract, a result doctors said was modest and significant.
   
Reference: Ophthalmology; November, 2013, Published Online
   
    

Antioxidants reduce cataract in women

   Doctors wanted to test how total antioxidants influence cataract, and in this study measured the total antioxidant value in the diets of 30,607 women, aged 49 to 83. Over an average eight years of follow-up, compared to those who got the least, women who consumed the most antioxidants were 13 percent less likely to develop cataract.
   Women who got more antioxidants were less likely to be smokers, and other lifestyle differences could have influenced results, researchers said.
   
   Reference: JAMA Ophthalmology; December, 2013, Published Online
   

Fruits, veggies, vitamins C & E

   Researchers measured the diets of 599 men and women, aged at least 65, three in four of whom had cataract. As fruits and vegetables increased, the chances for cataract decreased. Doctors saw a similar pattern for vitamin C. Compared to those who got less than 84 mg of vitamin C per day, those who got up to 408 mg of vitamin C per day were 54 percent less likely to develop cataract. For vitamin E, the chances for cataract began to decline at 12 IU of vitamin E per day.
   
Reference: BMC Ophthalmology; October, 2013, Published Online