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A low GI diet is good for your eyes
Skip the white bread and sugary snacks if you want to keep your vision sharp. Cutting back on the amount of refined carbohydrates you eat could greatly reduce your risk of blindness in old age, according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Scientists at Tufts University in the US studied the diets of nearly 4,000 older people aged between 55 and 80 over an eight year period. What they found was that people who ate a lot of high GI foods, which are quick-release carbohydrates rapidly broken down into sugars by the body, were much more at risk from getting an eye condition called Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
AMD occurs later in life and affects the sharp focus of the central vision, gradually leading to blindness. The delicate cells at the back of the eye deteriorate, making reading, recognition of faces, driving, and colour definition difficult. Macular degeneration is the most common form of visual impairment in the UK and is estimated to affect over half a million people.
‘Our data showed those people in the high-glycaemic-index group were at greater risk of AMD progression, especially those already in the late stages,’ says Chung-Jung Chiu, DDS, PhD, one of the study’s leading authors and assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. ‘Participants who consumed the most refined carbohydrates were 17 per cent more likely to develop blinding AMD than the group that consumed the least.’
While further clinical trials are still needed, the researchers conclude that simple diet changes such as cutting back on sugary drinks and opting for whole wheat bread instead of white could make a significant difference in slowing the onset of advanced AMD by about eight per cent, potentially saving thousands from blindness over the next five years.
‘We’re delighted with any research that turns anecdotal evidence about the importance of diet for AMD into fact,’ says Tom Bremridge, CEO of The Macular Disease Society. ‘Eating a balanced diet, rich in vegetables and whole grains – the low-GI foods this research recommends – backs up the advice from our own nutritionists for staving off AMD.’
Low GI foods include
- Porridge oats
- Lentils
- Muesli
- Chickpeas
- Whole-wheat bread
- Apples
- Pearl barley
- Plums
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Grapefruit
- Pears
- Mushrooms
- Milk
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.