MedPage Today yesterday reported that chronic consumption of alcohol may impair vision in diabetics. Drinkers performed less well on vision chart tests than non-drinkers. It’s not a diabetic retinopathy issue. Beer and distilled spirits were riskier than wine.
Glasses, contacts, or Lasik?
The MedPage Today article didn’t comment on the potential health benefits of alcohol consumption.
You can bet I’ll keep an eye on this.
Filed under Alcohol, Diabetes Complications
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 65. Impaired vision precedes blindness. A recent study linked consumption of omega-3 fatty acids with 30% lower risk of developing macular degeneration. Believe me, it’s a lot better to prevent it than try to treat it once present.
[I have a couple older relatives with macular degeneration, so I pay close attention to the scientific literature.]
What’s the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids? Our friend, the fish. Especially cold-water fatty fish such as tuna, trout, sardines, herring, mackerel, halibut, and sea bass. A few plants are also decent sources, but our bodies don’t utilize those omega-3 fatty acids as well as they do from fish.
Note that the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet has a prominent role for fish.
Reference: SanGiovanni, J.P., et al. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and 12-y incidence of neovascular age-related macular degeneration and central geographic atrophy: AREDS report 30, a prospective cohort study from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 90 (2009): 1,601-1,607. First published October 7, 2009. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.27594
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Filed under Fish
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Bible Verse of the Day
Diabetic Mediterranean Diet 