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MACULAR DEGENERATION IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF BLINDNESS AMONG PEOPLE OVER 40. IT IS VERY COMMON; 65 PERCENT OF ALL SIXTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLDS HAVE CLINICAL EVIDENCE FOR THIS DISEASE. THE CAUSE OF MACULAR DEGENERATION IS UNKNOWN, ALTHOUGH IT IS SUSPECTED THAT FREE RADICAL DAMAGE DUE TO LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO VISIBLE LIGHT AND UV RADIATION MAY BE RESPONSIBLE.

SEVERAL ANIMAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT WHEN DEPRIVED OF ANTIOXIDANTS, MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES, INCLUDING PRIMATES, OUR CLOSEST RELATIVES IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP RETINAL DEGENERATION. STUDIES ALSO SHOW THAT EXPOSURE TO BRIGHT LIGHT ALSO ACCELERATES RETINAL DEGENERATION IN ANIOHLS.

The GOOD NEWS is that there is a ray of hope.

Two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, MAY HELP TO PREVENT THIS DISEASE.

FREE RADICALS

Cells are composed of smaller units called atoms. Each atom contains a center or nucleus that is surrounded by electrons. Two or more atoms may bind together by sharing electrons. Biological oxidation, the process of making energy, involves moving electrons from one oxygen molecule to the next. However, sometimes an electron escapes. This "free" electron is called a free radical.
Free radicals perform many critical functions in our bodies. Some free radicals are responsible for turning on and off genes. Some are produced in very high amounts by our immune cells to "poison" viruses and bacteria. Some kill cancer cells. We need free radicals for our survival. Yet, in less than a split second, free radicals can turn on us.
Free radicals constantly form almost everywhere in the body at an astonishing rate. If free radicals are not quickly trapped, they can cause a great deal of trouble.
Free radicals can be enemies or friends, but we have to interact with them the right way, or they can quickly turn against us. The key is to maintain the optimal balance between free radicals and antioxidants.

ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidants are a group of compounds that are produced by the body and that occur naturally in many foods. Antioxidants protect us from cell damage caused by free radicals that can increase risk for macular degeneration. When an antioxidant encounters a free radical, it engulfs it, and the free radical then joins its molecular structure. The antioxidant itself becomes a free radical. These newly created free radicals are relatively weak and are not likely to do further harm. Antioxidants are the free radical police of the body, on call whenever necessary to "quench" free radicals wherever they may be, so that they cannot spread their destruction to other cells. By controlling free radicals, antioxidants can make the difference between sight and blindness.

CAROTENOIDS

Carotenoids are natural pigments found in both plants and animals. Bacteria, algae, fungi, and plants produce them, but humans and animals get them through food. Several carotenoids have exhibited strong antioxidant activity and they can help quench free radicals, thereby reducing the workload for antioxidants.
According to a study conducted at Harvard Medical School under the direction of Dr. Johanna M, Seddon, people who ate a diet rich in two dark green leafy vegetables, spinach and collard greens, had a substantially reduced risk of developing age-related macular degeneration than those who did not. What is particularly intriguing about this finding is that spinach and collard greens are excellent sources of lutein and zeaxanthin. These are the only two known carotenoids found in very high concentrations in the macula region of the eye.
Researchers have speculated that these two carotenoids may protect the macula against free radical damage. Read on to discover the benefits of certain carotenoids:

CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES

Cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kali contain many wonderful phytochemicals. Kale is an excellent source of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which may be protective again macular degeneration. Broccoli contains more sultbraphanc than other cruciferous vegetables as well as the antioxidant boosters selenium am beta carotene.

GREENS

No phytochemical feast is complete without a serving or two of fresh greens. Beet greens, watercress collard greens, mustard greens, and Swiss chard {all cruciferous vegetables) are excellent sources of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which may protect against macular degeneration.

RED GRAPES AND WINE

According to an article published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, people who drank wine were 20 percent less likely to develop macular degeneration than people who did not drink wine.

CONCLUSION

Our growing knowledge of antioxidants and carotenoids now enables us, for the first time, to practice real preventative medicine. We are beginning to understand the role that free radicals play in the onset and progression of macular degeneration and how they can be controlled by antioxidants. Simply by fortifying the body's antioxidant network, it is now possible to give the body the tools it needs to wage an effective fight against macular degeneration. Employing antioxidants and its boosters will enable us to keep our antioxidant advantage, which we need in order to defeat the forces that can age us prematurely and rob us of our health.

SPINACH

Raw spinach contains high amounts of lutein, a carotenoid that may have a strong protective effect against macular degeneration. A study conducted at five eye research centers in the United States showed that people who consumed the most lutein in their diet had a much lower incidence of macular degeneration than those who did not. Spinach was found to have a protective effect against this leading cause of blindness.

NOBODY WANTS TO SUFFER THE DEBILITATING EFFECTS OF MACULAR DEGENERATION.

But if we don't act now to fortify our immune system using antioxidants, we will unknowingly contribute to the factors that increase our risk of it.

AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT ANTIOXIDANTS, WE ARE DISCOVERING THE BIGGER ROLE THEY PLAY IN KEEPING US HEALTHY. WE NOW KNOW THAT NOT ONLY DO ANTIOXIDANTS KEEP FREE RADICALS UNDER CONTROL, BOTH THEY CAN ALSO HELP PREVENT SUCH THINGS AS MACULAR DEGENERATION. OF COURSE, BY BY MAINTAINING THE RIGHT LEVEL OF ANTIOXIDANTS IN YOUR BODY, YOU MAY BE PROTECTING YOURSELF AGAINST DEVELOPING OHCULAR DEGENERATION