| Conventional medicine offers no effective | | | | development of age-related macular degeneration |
| prevention for macular degeneration. Over 40 | | | | than men who did not drink beer (7 percent). |
| scientific studies, however, confirm the value of | | | | Beer-drinking was also associated with the |
| food in preventing the condition. | | | | development of pre-degenerative drusens. |
| The National Health and Nutrition Examination | | | | Lutein is a chemical relative of beta-carotene that |
| Survey found that the more survey respondents | | | | is found in carrots, corn, greens, potatoes, |
| ate fruits and vegetables high in beta-carotene, | | | | tomatoes, and most fruits. Zeaxanthin is another |
| the less they likely they were to develop macular | | | | relative of beta-carotene corn, fruit, paprika, and |
| degeneration. Eating collard greens and spinach, in | | | | spinach. Both compounds are strong antioxidants. |
| particular, is associated with a lower rate of the | | | | Their role in the plants that provide them is to |
| disease. The Beaver Dam Eye Study examined | | | | keep chlorophyll from attack by free radicals. |
| the diets of 2,003 individuals aged 43 to 84 and | | | | Along with three other antioxidants, vitamins A, C, |
| found that consumption of foods containing either | | | | and E, they perform a similar function in the |
| beta-carotene (the collard greens and spinach | | | | retina. Lutein and zeaxanthin also give the macula |
| previously mentioned, as well as apricots, carrots, | | | | its characteristic yellow color, lutein tending to |
| mangoes, and squash) or vitamin E (such as nuts) | | | | accumulate around the edges of the eye, and |
| prevented the formation of drusens, spots of | | | | zeaxanthin accumulating in the center of the eye. |
| pigmentation that precede the development of | | | | Individually, none of these five antioxidants, lutein, |
| macular degeneration. | | | | zeaxanthin, or vitamins A, C, or E, confers |
| Drinking as little as one glass of wine a month | | | | complete protection against macular degeneration. |
| seems to confer some protection against macular | | | | Consumed together, these five antioxidants offer |
| degeneration. In its nutritional assessment of | | | | significant protection against macular degeneration. |
| 3,072 adults aged 45 through 74, the National | | | | The evidence provided by epidemiological studies |
| Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found | | | | strongly suggests that eating foods that contain |
| that only 4 percent of adults who drank wine | | | | these nutrients protects the macula. Definite |
| developed macular degeneration, compared to 9 | | | | benefits also accrue from eating selenium-rich |
| percent who drank no alcohol at all. The Beaver | | | | foods, notably BroccoSprouts, and zinc-rich foods, |
| Dam Eye Study, on the other hand, found that | | | | such as barley, beef, chicken, crab, lamb, oysters, |
| men who consumed at least one beer a week | | | | turkey, and whole wheat. |
| had a higher (11 percent) rate of early | | | | |