Leafy green veggies can prevent cataracts:
Dec 4
[Health India]: Washington, Dec 4 : Ohio State University researchers have discovered that certain antioxidants found in dark leafy green vegetables can prevent cataracts.
The study, which has been published in the ‘Journal of Nutrition,’ carried out experiments on human lens cells to find that lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants found in plants such as kale, spinach and collard greens, helped to protect the cells from exposure to ultraviolet light, a leading cause of cataract formation.
They found that adding lutein and zeaxanthin to the cell cultures reduced signs of UVB damage by 50 to 60 percent, compared to vitamin E, which is also supposed to combat eye damage, which reduces the same signs of damage by 25 to 32 percent. Lutein and zeaxanthin were nearly 10 times more powerful than vitamin E in protecting the cells from UV-induced damage.
The researchers are now saying that low concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin in the eye lens help shield the eye from the harmful effects of UVB radiation.
“Lutein and zeaxanthin accumulate in the retina and in the lens of the eye, but we’re not sure how they reach the eye in the first place. They travel through the bloodstream, but the lens doesn’t have a blood supply,” the researchers wrote in their study. (ANI)
