The World Health Organization has recently confirmed that more than two billion people in the world suffer from visual pathologies sustained by unbalanced inflammatory and / or immune responses or neurodegenerative processes on which it is possible to intervene from the outside. Can nutritional intervention become an important weapon in protecting the eye and visual mechanisms? We asked Monica Varano, scientific director of the Irccs Fondazione GB Bietti for the Study and Research in Ophthalmology Onlus supported by Fondazione Roma.
How to love your eyes: the 4 P rule
Lifestyles and nutrition
Leading a healthy lifestyle and following a balanced diet is now a ‘prescription’ that covers all diseases, including eye diseases, especially if they are linked to other health problems such as, for example, diabetes. “Adhering to a healthy diet – explains Varano – offers a valid intervention to compete against the growing cases of eye diseases all over the world, such as dry eye disorders, the progression of myopia, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or age-related macular degeneration “. What does this mean in practice? “Certain quantities of micronutrients – continues the expert – must be provided daily for the correct functioning of the visual system, such as vitamins, carotenoids, trace metals and omega-3 fatty acids. Among natural foods, to improve eye health, there must be fish, meat, eggs, nuts, legumes, citrus fruits, nuts, green leafy vegetables, orange fruit and vegetables, olives and olive oil, dairy products. “
Eyes also age with age, here’s how to prevent them
by IRMA D’ARIA
Anti-inflammatory foods
A confirmation of how much nutrition can impact on eye health also comes from a recent study, a systematic review published recently in the scientific journal Foods: “The study – explains Varano – evaluated four categories of typical foods of the Mediterranean diet, that is broccoli, walnuts, saffron and sweet bunting, bringing back their anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, anti-angiogenic, anti-apoptotic, photoprotective, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. Adherence to a healthy diet offers a valid intervention to compete against the growing cases of ocular diseases worldwide, such as dry eye disorders, myopia progression, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or age-related macular degeneration. ” Another study with a follow-up period of 38 months reported how the combination of antioxidants, carotenoids, trace metals and omega-3 fatty acids reduced oxidative stress and the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.
Microbiome and eyes, there are more than 200 bacteria on the ocular surface
The role of Vitamin A
Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is one of the essential elements for eye health. “It plays a crucial role in the formation of retinal photoreceptors and is involved in the mechanism of twilight and daytime vision,” explains Varano. “It is a fundamental substance for visual development whose deficiency can cause a deficiency responsible for important visual consequences including night blindness and xerophthalmia (dry eye). Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of systemic vitamin A supplementation in the treatment of ocular surface pathologies and the advantages offered by topical formulations (eye drops) in the treatment of dry eye syndrome “. It is also an element with known anti-oxidant properties. Vitamin A can be introduced with the diet and is found in orange, yellow and red vegetables and fruits such as carrots, cantaloupe, apricots, squash, mangoes, red fruits and blueberries, but also in milk, eggs and liver.
Practical tips for living with age-related macular degeneration
The antioxidant function of vitamins E and C
Vitamin E, or Tocopherol, is the antioxidant substance par excellence, it helps cells to fight oxidative stress. “At the ocular level – explains Varano – it is particularly useful in the prevention of retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and in the protection of the natural lens of our eye, the crystalline, as it reduces the damage caused by free radicals of the eye. oxygen. It also has a known role in strengthening the eye muscles. ” Foods rich in vitamin E are cereals, wheat germ, almonds, saffron, walnuts, soy, olives and olive oil. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a substance with known antioxidant properties, also important in strengthening the immune system. “At the ocular level – continues the ophthalmologist – vitamin C helps reduce the risk of developing degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma and is also particularly useful in the prevention and treatment of corneal infections”. Foods rich in vitamin C are citrus fruits in general, kiwis, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, strawberries and peppers.
The other nutrients useful for eye health
In addition to the visual benefits offered by vitamins A, C and E, there are other nutrients that play a very important role for the health of both the healthy eye and the one affected by diseases that lead to a progressive and, in some cases, irreversible visual loss such as age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. “The onset and progression of these pathologies involve oxidative stress mechanisms, cell damage and death, and inflammatory processes,” explains Varano. “A diet rich in antioxidants can prevent the damage triggered by these stress mechanisms.
Carotenoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin, meso-zeaxanthin, beta-carotene and lycopene are a category of substances with antioxidant action. Beta-carotene is the precursor of vitamin A. Lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin are carotenoids, also known as macular xanthophylls, present in the eye in the fovea and lens. Lycopene has a particular action defined as anti-angiogenic, capable of interfering in the progression to advanced forms of AMD and in the development of complications of diabetic retinopathy.
In which foods are carotenoids found
Carotenoids are contained in many green leafy vegetables, among these cabbage and spinach are the foods that contain the highest amounts of lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene. Numerous and recent scientific evidences also concern the beneficial properties for the sight of curcumin, a substance with an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action, which can be easily taken with the diet.
The right ‘doses’ of nutrients
What are the ideal amounts of these nutrients? Is the amount we take with food alone enough? “The Mediterranean diet – answers Varano – is rich in vitamins, mineral salts, calcium and omega-3, useful elements in the prevention of degenerative and cardio-vascular diseases. The integration of elements necessary for physical well-being is indicated only where conditions exist. pathological conditions that benefit from additional doses of these substances or deficiency situations that reduce their introduction or absorption “. There are, in fact, some cases in which the use of integration can be useful. “In the field of ophthalmology – says the expert – the intake of supplements is particularly indicated in the prevention of pathologies with a slow and degenerative course such as AMD in the population at risk and even more so in those patients who are already diagnosed with AMD to slow down or block it. the progression towards more advanced forms “. In addition to the quantities it is also necessary to consider the bioavailability of the elements we take with the diet, the curcumin taken with the diet, for example, has a low bioavailability and therefore to exploit its benefits in preventing the development of retinal diseases, formulations with hydrophilic carriers are necessary. , typical of the formulations found in supplements.
Saffron and macular degeneration
Is it true that saffron can be useful for increasing the sensitivity of the retina? “Saffron – replies Varano – is a commonly used spice whose active ingredients are crocin and crocetin, two substances of the carotenoid family, with strong antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties. The first studies carried out on rats have reported a reduction in the harmful effects associated with it. to a continuous and harmful light exposure. The effects on the retina have been evaluated in humans by electrophysiological techniques that allow to study macular function. In the population affected by AMD, oral integration of saffron at a dose of 20 mg / day has improved retinal and macular function tests and demonstrated neuroprotective effects. More recently – concludes the expert – the results of short-term trials on patients suffering from hereditary retinal diseases, including Stargardt’s disease, have also been reported, with results of efficacy and good tolerability “.
.