Four Nutrients For Healthy Eyes

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Article Title:

Four Nutrients For Healthy Eyes

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Article Description:

Sight is incredibly important and, just like any other

function of the body, is largely dependent upon proper

nutrition. However, it also may be a part of our nutrition

that we don't actively think about supporting. Here, we

discuss four key nutrients that can help bolster eye health.

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Distribution Date and Time: 2010-01-19 11:15:00

Written By: Janet

Copyright: 2010

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Four Nutrients For Healthy Eyes

Copyright © 2010 Janet

Mark and Janet

http://www.MarkandJanet.com/

We live in a visual world. Traffic signals, art, our family's

faces--our eyes are constantly taking in input that we use to

live and enjoy our lives. Sight is incredibly important and, just

like any other function of the body, is largely dependant upon

proper nutrition. However, it also may be a part of our nutrition

that we don't actively think about supporting.

Healthy eyesight can be affected by a number of maladies,

including glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration. While

not every one of these is completely understood, each of them is

at least partially affected by nutrition. Proper consumption of

vitamins can help control or alleviate the symptoms of these

common conditions. Here, we discuss four key nutrients that can

help bolster eye health.

1. Vitamin A

Vitamin A is the first and most immediately important nutrient to

consider when discussing an eyes-healthy diet. Even a moderate

deficiency in vitamin A intake can cause night blindness, which

manifests as a difficulty perceiving details in low light

conditions. Greater deficiencies cause greater visual defects in

fairly short order. This is a definite hazard for anyone driving

at night, making this vitamin a must.

Fortunately, vitamin A is also very easy to include in your diet,

as there are a number of foods very rich in this nutrient. Liver,

carrots, broccoli leaf, sweet potatoes, spinach and even butter

all have high concentrations of Vitamin A. Fruits such as mangos,

papayas, and cantaloupe tend to have lower concentrations, but

the vitamin is still present so don't count these sources out.

2. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is also an important nutrient that helps maintain the

body's immune system, and your eyes can be a typical place to

acquire a casual-contact infection. In addition, some studies

suggest that vitamin C may play a role in screening out damaging

UV rays and delaying the development of macular degeneration and

glaucoma.

The classic source of vitamin C remains citrus fruit such as

oranges and lemons, but surprisingly these are not the most

concentrated sources. Red pepper, kiwi, acerola and Cacadu plums

can have more then fifty times the amount of vitamin C in the

average orange. In short, it's very easy to meet your required

vitamin C quota, and you may actually be getting it from some

surprising sources you hadn't yet considered.

3. Vitamin E

Vitamin E is important because it maintains the health of the

eyes' mucous membranes. When eyes dry out, they begin to suffer

surface damage. Keeping the eyes lubricated is therefore very

important, and vitamin E is a natural way to take care of it

without resorting to eye drops.

As with the other nutrients we've discussed, vitamin E is easily

accessible through a number of foods, some of which you may

already be familiar with. Grains and nuts can be strong sources,

particularly through whole grain breads, hazelnuts and almonds.

Asparagus, avocado, and eggs also tend to have good quantities of

vitamin E.

4. Lutien

An important non-vitamin nutrient for healthy eyes is Lutein.

Lutein has been directly linked to the amount of pigmentation in

the human eye in several important studies. High levels of

pigmentation have been shown to decrease the chance of

age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness.

For people looking to increase their Lutein intake, the primary

foods to consider are vegetables. Kale, turnip greens, romaine

lettuce, corn, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts all have high

levels of Lutein, as do kiwifruit.

The Overlap Factor

Obviously, people aren't going to rearrange their entire diet

just to take advantage of the benefits these nutrients have on

eye health. Complete overhauls are jarring and sometimes

expensive, so it's better to look for places that overlap,

providing several nutrient benefits at once.

For example, broccoli is a source of both Lutein and vitamin A.

One food takes care of two concerns at once, minimizing any

changes. Whole grain breads provide many benefits, such as fiber,

in addition to their vitamin E content.

Important Considerations

These elements all have been observed to have some effect on

eyesight and visual health, however as always many of these

studies are still ongoing. An important Lutein study concluded

that more research will need to be done to fully understand all

of its effects, even though the study did demonstrate a link

between Lutein intake and improved visual health.

Some people, knowing that they struggle with managing the foods

they eat, choose to rely on multivitamins and vitamin supplements

to make up the difference. There's nothing wrong with this if

done properly, but some vitamins have been known to develop

toxicity if taken in too large doses. Vitamin A in particular can

be very dangerous if taken past the recommended limits.

In short, remember to always consult a dietary professional such

as a nutritionist or dietician before making any major changes to

your diet. Ask them about the pros and cons of the choices you

want to make, and ask for alternatives that they recommend before

making any changes yourself. Healthy diet can protect your

eyesight, and it is important to consult with professionals in

order to get the best results.

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Janet and her husband are health and nutrition

entrepreneurs and founders of Mark And Janet, a website

with uncompromising, premium products for your health

conscious family. For more on going green -- Visit us at:

http://www.MarkandJanet.com/ or check out our blog at

http://www.MarkandJanetBlog.com/