A new study has investigated whether higher omega-3 intake is associated with a reduced likelihood of developing AMD. Participants who reported the highest omega-3 consumption were 20% less likely than their peers to develop AMD.
Ref: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajcn.2009.27594v1
For more information, go to Click Here
A number of Japanese studies show how eye fatigue (often resulting from ongoing computer use) can be significantly reduced by supplementing with just 6mg of Astaxanthin per day in just 4 weeks. Eye fatigue symptoms include tiredness, soreness, dryness and blurry vision.
For more information on these studies, go to Asthenopia Research
Older people with stronger muscles are at reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to their weaker peers, a new study shows.
Dr. Patricia A. Boyle of Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago and her colleagues found that the greater a person’s muscle strength, the lower their likelihood of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s over a four-year period. The same was true for the loss of mental function that often precedes full-blown Alzheimer’s.
People who ranked in the top 10 percent for muscle strength were 61 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than the weakest 10 percent. Stronger people also showed a slower decline in their mental abilities over time.
SOURCE: Archives of Neurology, November 2009.
Reported from Natural Eye Care
Scientists at MIT and other research organizations are testing chip technologies that could help bring eyesight to individuals with conditions like age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.
Microchips place onto or inside the eyeball are assisted by a pair of electronic glasses the patient wears. Results vary, but many subjects report significant improvement in orientation and mobility. MIT hopes to have a device within two years so that they can get FDA approval from for use on chronic patients.
See information on macular degeneration, nutrition and health.
Pennsylvania researchers using gene therapy have made significant improvements in vision in 12 patients with Leber’s disease, a rare inherited visual defect, a finding that suggests it may be possible to produce similar improvements in a much larger number of patients with retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration.
The team last year reported success with three adult patients, an achievement that was hailed as a major accomplishment for gene therapy. They have now treated an additional nine patients, including five children, and find that the best results are achieved in the youngest patients, whose defective retinal cells have not had time to die off.
The youngest patient, 9-year-old Corey Haas, was considered legally blind before the treatment began. He was confined largely to his house and driveway when playing, had immense difficulties in navigating an obstacle course and required special enlarging equipment for books and help in the classroom.
Today, after a single injection of a gene-therapy product in one eye, he rides his bike around the neighborhood, needs no assistance in the classroom, navigates the obstacle course quickly and has even played his first game of softball.
The 12 patients had Leber’s congenital amaurosis, which affects about 3,000 people in the United States and perhaps 130,000 worldwide. Victims are born with severely impaired vision that deteriorates until they are totally blind, usually in childhood or adolescence. There is no treatment.
Leber’s is a good candidate for gene therapy because most of the visual apparatus is intact, particularly at birth and in childhood. Mistakes in 13 different genes are known to cause it, but all 12 of the patients suffered a defect in a gene called RPE65. This gene produces a vitamin A derivative that is crucial for detecting light
The study, led by Dr. Katherine A. High, Dr. Albert M. Maguire and Dr. Jean Bennett of those two institutions, enrolled five people in the United States, five from Italy and two from Belgium. Five were children, and the oldest was 44.
Editor’s Note: In addition to the exciting research described above, there are specific nutrients that may help strengthen vision for those with Leber’s Disease
A Canadian research team has uncovered lymph channels in the eye, a find that could lead the way to improved treatments for glaucoma and possibly other eye diseases. Previously lymph channels were not believed to be associated with the part of the eye related to glaucoma.
The lymphatic system consists of organs, ducts, and nodes that transport a watery clear fluid called lymph, which performs two major functions. The fluid distributes immune cells called lymphocytes and other elements throughout the body, which protect the body against infections. It also interacts with the blood to drain waste and fluids from cells and tissues. Lymphatics are found in every part of the body except the central nervous system and, until now, the eyes were excluded as well.
This discovery provides a new avenue in the potential treatment and possibly cure of glaucoma by specifically targeting the lymphatic circulation to lower eye pressure.
Editor’s Note: For more information on glaucoma and related nutrients, go to www.naturaleyecare.com/glaucoma
Twitter links powered by Tweet This v1.6.1, a WordPress plugin for Twitter.
