Age related Macular Degeneration or AMD is a disease that affects millions of Americans every year. There are several factors that contribute to this disease, those being: exposure to bright light, diet, hereditary factors and gender. The main ones that can be controlled consist of exposure to bright light and diet. Those that cannot be controlled are hereditary factors and gender. Prevention of macular degeneration consists of reducing the eyes exposure to bright light and the daily diet of the person at risk. What I seek to explore is if adopting to the Mediterranean diet will create the needed health benefit to prevent the onset of AMD. The Mediterranean diet is one which focuses on eating seafood, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and healthy fats from things such as olive …show more content…
The “poor” diet of the southern Mediterranean consisting mainly of fruits and vegetables. Beans and nuts, healthy grains, fish, olive oil, small amounts of dairy, and red wine, proved to be much more likely to lead to lifelong good health.” (Tufts University Health and nutrition letter,2013). Researchers analyzed the diets of 883 people age 55 and older for two years and found that the more closely they followed the Med diet, the lower their risk for AMD. Fifty percent of those who didn’t closely follow the diet had AMD, while 39 percent who closely adhered to the diet had AMD—a 35 percent lower risk in comparison ( Med Diet Cuts Macular Degeneration Risk ,(2017). This is supported also by the article “Eat more like a Mediterranean to protect your eyes”, where a high consumption of fish, fish oil, nuts and lutein and zeaxanthin obtained from eating vegetables reduced the risk of AMD. It goes on to state later that it involves a decrease in oxidative stress and inflammation that play a role in AMD formation. As stated by Michael Hoster, “Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation can slow or inhibit choroidal
Mediterranean diet, a low-carbohydrate, high protein diet, a vegan diet and a vegetarian diet all of which to have shown to improve metabolic conditions. The degree of the improvement varies from patient to patient therefore, it is necessary to evaluate each patient based on their only needs and individual metabolic demands. It is recommended that patients with pre-diabetes be made aware of beneficial nutrition intervention. Knowing what diet is best for the patient can significantly help with the risks of developing diabetes type 2. Medical nutrition therapy plays a role at three levels, primary prevention, secondary and tertiary prevention. For the purpose of this paper primary prevention is observed to help aim in delaying or arresting the development of diabetes. Different types of diet have been shown to be associated with improvement in metabolic condition. Modest weight loss has been shown to improve insulin resistance so either a low carbohydrate, low-fat calorie-resistance, or Mediterranean diet may be effective in the short term (Khazrai et al.,
When I was growing up I was taught how to hunt, fish and trap animals for food as well as being fed an omnivorous diet, but today I have found that I no longer need animals in my diet. The Vegetarian Times recently found that out of the 311 million people in the US, 7.3 million eat a vegetarian based diet and 22.8 million eat a vegetarian inclined diet. Over the past century people have begun looking into the health implications of plant based diets as a way of improving their health and increase their longevity. This research paper is intended
Positing that most of our major health issues, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes, can be prevented (and even in some cases reversed) by following a vegetables-and-whole-grains diet, this dense documentary would rather inform than entertain. Its hale heroes are the nutritional scientist T. Colin Campbell and the surgeon Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., whose combined decades of research into the harmful effects of animal proteins are summarized, along with an extensive history of our worldwide dietary decline.
Alzheimer’s Disease has been one of the top leading causes of death in our country. It is understood that this disease is identified as an excess of the protein amyloid-ß within an increase of plaque (Seneff, Wainwright, and Mascitelli, 2010). Additionally, as the brain ages, it gets used to the inflammation and oxidative stress, so it is important to take the right amount of antioxidant micronutrients like vitamin C and vitamin E as well as anti-inflammatory macronutrients such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to protect the brain from ageing (Whalley et. al, 2004). This is a devastating disease that affects most people over the age of fifty. Recently, there have been many studies done to figure out what causes this disease, if there is anything that can cure it, and how to prevent the disease. Seneff, Wainwright, and Mascitelli, believe Alzheimer’s develops with consuming too many carbohydrates, especially fructose and having a deficiency in cholesterol and dietary fats as well (2010). Whalley, Starr, and Deary have seen that poor diet, poverty, and failing health are links to developing Alzheimer’s Disease (2004). Furthermore, seeing increase in plasma homocysteine concentration increases risk of Dementia, which can result from an inadequate intake of vitamin B12/folate (Walley et. al, 2004). Additionally, Gray supports Walley’s findings and even believes having an adequate intake of vitamin B12/folate will have a positive effect on the overall health
Macular Degeneration is a disease of the eye that gradually causes loss of a person’s central vision. Approximately 1.75 million Americans suffer from vision loss associated with the disease (All About Vision 1). The leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60, Macular Degeneration, exists in two types (National Eye Institute 1). Both the wet and dry versions of the disease have similarities in risk factors, but differ in symptoms and treatments.
In this article, "EyeSee: Carrot naturalactives concentrate for eye health from Diana", Phillipe Saroner states "The maintenance of normal function of the eye is strongly dependent on the consumption of the antioxidant nutrients including hydrophobic carotids which must be transported in the blood"(22). Saroner discusses how maintaining our visual acuity throughout our life is a major concern of the entire population, and improving visual comfort has a significant impact on our quality of life. As a result, The intake of essential and specific nutrients ensuring the proper functioning of the eye has to be provided permanently in a practical way to easily complete the variations in nutritional intake of our diets. This source is helpful because
Fruits and vegetables are an important aspect of having a healthy diet. Ingesting nutrients along the color spectrum is also important as it boosts defensive antioxidants and vitamins. Free radicals are harmful compounds, but with the help of antioxidants, can be extracted from the body. Harm produced by free radicals may disturb typical cell activity in the brain, causing termination of nerve cells. Eating a healthy diet provides many other health benefits as well. The Mediterranean diet is a healthy diet, which is consumed of vegetables, whole grains, fish, and fruits. Having a diet with an abundance amount of fruits and vegetables prevents the free radicals from forming. Healthy diets dramatically reduce the chances of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease and intellectual deterioration. Probiotics such as yogurt, a yogurt drink or a probiotic pill with live bacteria can also
Traumatic Optic Neuropathy, T.O.N, is the direct or indirect injury to the optic nerve or optic canal secondary to trauma. Patients who present with T.O.N may have partial or complete vision loss. Due to little understanding, there is no prevention and no cure for T.O.N; or laboratory models to study this condition. Most common causes are motor vehicle accidents, falls, bike accidents, and assault. Though observation is the main treatment option, systemic corticosteroids and surgical optic nerve decompression is available .
The distractions of driving are a popular area of research. Recent studies have looked at what distracts drivers and what other failures of awareness may contribute to traffic accidents. The goal of this paper is to look at research and explain how change blindness can possibly effect driving.
In 1971, Theodor Leber, a German ophthalmologist, first described distinctive symptoms of central vision loss in a group of patients. Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) was later named in his honor. With the discovery of mitochondrial DNA came the ability to identify the genetic cause of this disease. It is a maternally inherited mitochondrial disease that most commonly affects young men aged 15 to 30 years old. Its painless symptoms usually leave patients with significant, permanent blindness due to optic nerve damage in both eyes. There have been some reports of neurologic abnormalities such as tremors and cardiac arrhythmias. An ophthalmologist will examine the patients’ eyes and perform various
carotene (1). Fortunately, humans need Beta-carotene as a source of vitamin A. The vitamin A causes better eye health, and prevents
Fourteen million American adults needlessly suffer from macular degeneration. Kiwifruit is rich in phytochemicalsóxanthophylls and especially a subcomponent, lutein. Lutein is known to accumulate in the retina of the eye. Recent USDA studies have linked these important compounds to the prevention of macular degenerationóthe leading cause of irreversible blindness in the U.S.
Macular Degeneration is a problem in the part of the eye that controls your sharpest central vision. It is a group of diseases that result in a loss of detailed vision. The brain will not just leave the spot empty, so it learns to fill it in with spotty macular cell damage. People most of the time don't tell their doctors (opthalmologists) about it until it is well in advance.
Glaucoma is a group of eye disorders that cause blindness by hurting the optic nerve, which is the large nerve that is responsible for vision. In glaucoma, the optic nerve damage is related to a change in the fluid pressure that circulates around the eyeball. In many cases, Glaucoma occurs when the eye's fluid pressure is high, but it can also occur when the pressure is measured as normal.
If you’ve ever talked to somebody after they 've traveled to a country such as Italy or Greece, they probably mentioned how delicious the food was. Food is one of the more common affiliations with countries that surround the Mediterranean Sea; and understandably so. The food this region produces is so notable that there is a diet based off it, companied with endless research elaborating the health benefits it accommodates. Fittingly named The Mediterranean Diet, this compilation of foods including fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, high fiber breads, whole grains, nuts, olive oil and red wine are targeted to help prevent a number of diseases as well as promote health in different sectors of the body. This essay will touch upon each component, benefit, and precaution of the Mediterranean diet, in depth, all with a main focus on the nutritional factors.