Type 2 Diabetes - Diabetes and Age-Related Vision Problems

By Beverleigh H Piepers
Age-related macular degeneration is one cause of blindness in people of advanced age. The macula is an oval-shaped structure in the center of the back of the eye. It is made up of nerve cells and cone cells, which produce acute vision in the center of the field of vision. It is yellow, containing carotenoid pigments, molecules related to vitamin A. When the macula degenerates, which can take place with advanced age, older people can experience central holes in their fields of vision.

Investigators at the Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore, India, looked at the diets of 3549 people over 45 years of age to determine how age-related macular degeneration could be prevented. Their study was reported on in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology in October 2013.

It was found that, not surprisingly, the incidence of the disease increased with advancing age. Patients with diabetes had almost 4 times the risk of macular degeneration than non diabetics. Smoking and drinking alcohol also increased the risk of developing macular degeneration. Taking in carotenoids was associated with lowered risk for developing the disease.

The Linus Pauling Institute in the United States recommends that...
females 14 years of age and older, consume 700 mcg of vitamin A daily.
males 14 and over should take in 900 mcg of the vitamin per day.

Foods containing carotenoids often have a yellow or orange color...

1 medium carrot contains more than twice the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin A.
a cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin provides 245 percent of the RDA for the vitamin.
a tablespoon of cayenne or red pepper powder contains 44 percent of the RDA for vitamin A.
a cup of raw pumpkin flowers provides 13 percent.

Some dark green veggies can also be a good source...
a cup of raw romaine lettuce contains more than 80 percent of the RDA for vitamin A.
1 cup of broccoli florets provides 43 percent, while
1 cup of raw spinach has 56 percent.

The cooks at http://www.cooks.com suggest making a mixed green and mandarin orange salad with iceberg, romaine, and Boston lettuce, spinach, celery, parsley, scallions, mandarin oranges, and sliced toasted almonds. Dress your salad with hot pepper sauce, salad oil, sugar substitute, and vinegar.

Chef Christian Feher suggests making a salad with romaine lettuce, spinach, strawberries, shredded carrot, and poppy seed dressing. His demonstration can be found on YouTube.

With such tasty recipes getting enough vitamin A - and controlling your blood sugar levels should not be too difficult.

Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. By making simple changes to your daily routine, its possible to protect your heart, kidneys, eyes and limbs from the damage often caused by diabetes, and eliminate many of the complications you may already experience.

For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. Go to http://DrugFreeType2Diabetes.com to learn about some of those secrets.

The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beverleigh_H_Piepers

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