Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Eyes in Old Age

Detail Berita

EYE become human window to see the world.  Eye health is closely related to overall body condition, and vice versa.  Healthy lifestyle cuts the risk of eye disorders.

People who live a healthy life overall exercise, healthy eating, and not smoking-significantly lower risk of age-related macular degeneration (age-related macular degeneration / AMD).  Similarly, according to new research findings, as quoted from Health24, Monday (20/12/2010).



Keeping the diet (diet) and exercise each capable of reducing risk.  If both of them combined plus non-smokers, the risk is very sharp decline, ie more than 70 percent.

"We need not be passive victims of damage caused by old age. The things that are relatively simple can make a difference against the risk of AMD in our old age later," explained study author Dr. Julie Mares of the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Research

In his research, Dr. Mares and his colleagues reviewed the information about diet, exercise, and smoking from 1313 women between the ages of 55-74 years were collected during the 1990's.  Lifestyle participants reviewed an average of six years later, when performing the eye examination to check for AMD.

As a result, 202 women have AMD, mostly in the early stages.  Among women who patterned healthy diet, 11 percent had an early form of AMD, compared with 19 women with the worst diets.  The results of this study itself has been published in the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Statistics

Approximately one in 10 women who exercise develop AMD, compared with one in five women who did not exercise.  When the researchers combined with the influence of diet, exercise, and not smoking, the risk of AMD has decreased further.  But, quitting smoking is not enough to prevent AMD.

There is a link antioxidants with risk of AMD.  Researchers noted that women with higher levels of antioxidants have a lower risk of AMD, but not as low as a woman who implement healthy lifestyle overall.

"The findings for a healthy diet as a whole is more powerful than single nutrients (antioxidants)," said Dr. Mares.

And while regular exercise, even if only 10 hours per week for light exercise including housework, gardening, or walking-or 8 hours of sport per week for moderate exercise, the risk of AMD will be very low.

"Diet and exercise reduce blood pressure, which can protect the eyes from degeneration.  Diet and exercise also reduces free radicals that are associated with lower levels of inflammation, namely the effect that directly protect the eyes from AMD.  Or, help increase the accumulation of pigment in the back of the eye, serves to absorb light of a potentially damaging, "said Dr. Mares said.

Similar results in men and women

Although the study only included women, Dr. Mares said that a similar trend may also occur in men.

"No reason I say the result is different in men or women. However, these findings need to be confirmed in a separate sample that includes men," he said.


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