If you're looking to lower your risk of cataracts, when aging, you might want to consider consuming foods rich in antioxidants.
According to CBS News, a new study looked into the diets of over 30,000 women, over the age of 49, and found that women who consumed more antioxidants during their lifespan had a 13 percent lower risk of developing cataracts, compared to women who did not consume as much antioxidants.
Susanne Rautiainen of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institutet and leader of the study stated that "damage of the eye lens caused by free radicals " is reported to be a development of cataract.
"Previous studies have focused on individual antioxidants obtained from the diet or supplements and they have reported inconsistent results," Rautiainen said. "However, in diet much wider ranges of antioxidants are present than those studied previously."
Foods that carry high antioxidants include coffee, tea, oranges, whole grains and red wine. Researchers avoided single antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, and plant flavonoids such as lycopene.
For seven year's researchers studied signs of developing cataracts. They were also given a dietary questionnaire. The women were later divided into five groups based on the amount of antioxidant consumed.
The study recorded 745 cases of cataract, from women who are the most antioxidants and recorded 953 cases for women who consumed a low amount of antioxidant. In the study included additional data such as women who consumed more antioxidants were more educated and less likely to smoke.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 20 million Americans 40-years-old and older have cataracts. The disorder is known to cause blurred or cloudy vision and then lead to blindness.
William Christen, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, believes that the study has limitations.
"The women participants simply reported on a questionnaire the food choices they made over the past year," Christen said. "As an observational study, there is always concern that women who choose healthier diets may also differ in other important ways, like body weight, smoking habits, aspects of the diet other than antioxidants, that may be more directly related to cataract risk."
Christen, who was not involved in the study said colorful fruits and vegetables are considered the best way to consume antioxidants.
The results were published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
