How nutrients can stop blindness caused by macular degeneration
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One of the things that the over-60 crowd fears most is losing their
vision. And one of the most common causes of age-related blindness is
macular degeneration. Although the percentage of people with macular
degeneration is only 1.5% in all people over 40 years old, that number
increases dramatically with age. So much so that by the time you reach
80, the number can be as high as 15%. That's one of every seven people.
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Since macular degeneration is so common in people over 60, anything you
can do to prevent it is welcome news. Most everybody who has looked into
this knows that lutein, zeaxanthin, bilberry extract, zinc, and
astaxanthin are critical nutrients for preventing macular degeneration.
But now a new study is pointing to some other important nutrients that
it seems we just can't get enough of.
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The authors start off their report by noting the "growing evidence of
the importance of nutrition in age-related macular degeneration." And
then they mention that only a few studies have looked at the importance
of folate and other B vitamins.
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To do the study, the researchers looked at 2,525 men and women with
early signs of macular degeneration. Then they followed them over the
next 13 years to see how many of them progressed to a condition known as
geographic atrophy. Geographic atrophy is an advanced form of dry
macular degeneration that is severe and does not respond to any kind of
treatment. At the same time, the investigators examined the subjects'
nutritional intake of the different B vitamins. Here's what they found.
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Continued Below...
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Vitamin E's Superstar Cousin:
- Lowers Total Cholesterol...
- Lowers "Bad" LDL... - Raises "Good" HDL... - Lowers Triglycerides... - And Actually Raises CoQ10...
What is this powerhouse heart health nutrient?
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Three B vitamins stood out: folate, thiamine (B1), and riboflavin (B2).
According to the authors, "There was a reduced risk of progression to
geographic atrophy with increasing intake of thiamine, riboflavin, and
folate." The higher the intake of these B vitamins, the lower the chance
of getting geographic atrophy and blindness even if you already have
the early signs of macular degeneration. Here's the take-home message.
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Everyone over the age of 60 should have a complete eye examination every
five years. Ask the doctor specifically if he sees any signs of drusen.
Drusen are yellow deposits under the retina. They are made up of a
fatty protein. While drusen are not necessarily the cause of macular
degeneration, their presence indicates a significantly increased risk of
getting it. So, if your doctor tells you that you have drusen, here's
what you should do.
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First, start taking Advanced Vision Formula.
This formula has all of the important nutrients that are known to
reduce the chance of getting macular degeneration. Second, if you aren't
already taking it for general reasons, start taking one to two scoops
every day of my Super Immune QuickStart. It's loaded with B vitamins, especially folic acid, thiamine, and riboflavin.
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Yours for better health,
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Frank Shallenberger, MD
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