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Best and Worst Foods for Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration, commonly known as macular degeneration, is an ophthalmic health condition in which an individual’s central vision diminishes gradually. At an advanced stage, people with macular degeneration will be unable to view the central portion of things, like the numbers on a wall clock but not its hands. Currently, there is no specific treatment for early macular degeneration, so healthcare experts conduct regular eye tests to track the condition in patients.

Best foods for macular degeneration
Certain foods are scientifically proven to be healthy for one’s eyes. The foods listed here can reduce the severity of macular degeneration disease symptoms in individuals.

Salmon
Healthcare research studies have found that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may reduce the risk of macular degeneration or drastically slow down its progress. Sardines, salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, and herring are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which also have unique anti-inflammatory properties. As a result, including these foods in one’s daily nutrition regime can reduce the possibility of clogged blood vessels in one’s eyes.

Carrots, red and orange bell peppers
The macula is a part of the retina that processes what one sees directly in front of their eyes (the central vision). It consists of antioxidants named carotenoids, which protect and nurture the cells needed for vision. Therefore, foods that are rich in carotenoids, such as carrots, red and orange bell peppers, corn, sweet potatoes, and spinach must be added to one’s meals.

Carrots and red and orange peppers help keep one’s eyes healthy as they contain carotenoids such as zeaxanthin and lutein. These elements can reinforce the protective pigment layer around a person’s macula, thus preventing or slowing down macular degeneration.

Generally, healthcare experts recommend vulnerable individuals to eat bright yellow, red, and dark green-colored vegetables to combat macular degeneration disease symptoms.

Peaches
Like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C is another nutrient helpful for the eyes, and by extension, combating macular degeneration disease symptoms. Vitamin C boosts the production of collagen in a person’s body, which forms strong blood vessels in the eyes. Therefore, foods like peaches, bananas, apples, and oranges are vital for one’s vision.

They can slow down the progression of advanced macular degeneration by as much as 25 percent in individuals with the health condition. Moreover, these foods are loaded with antioxidant carotenoids, which strengthen the macula.

Chickpeas
Chickpeas, shellfish, and legumes are some of the foods rich in zinc, a trace mineral that helps the body absorb one of the best antioxidants vitamin A. Apart from this function, zinc-rich foods also regulate a person’s cellular function. These foods help improve a person’s vision and overall optical health.

Apart from zinc, copper also helps maintain healthy eyes. Foods such as seeds, eggs, and legumes are filled with copper reserves.

Kale
Kale contains large reserves of zeaxanthin, lutein, and beta-carotene, all highly useful antioxidants for the eyes. Apart from kale itself, its oil-based extract can also have positive effects on macular pigment concentrations. Due to these reasons, kale must be a part of most meals to keep macular degeneration at bay and also keep the eyes healthy.

Walnuts
Walnuts are another rich source of antioxidants. Nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts, and cashew nuts can be instrumental in preventing age-related symptoms of macular degeneration disease. Moreover, if someone already has the condition, then they can prevent it from worsening with time.

Worst foods for macular degeneration
Certain foods can be downright awful for the eyes and may also aggravate the symptoms of macular degeneration disease. Some foods to avoid are as follows:

Burgers and French fries
Processed foods are unequivocally regarded as the worst foods by the healthcare community. Moreover, processed foods such as pizzas, burgers, and French fries are the cause of most long-term ailments in people. That remains the case for eye health and macular degeneration as well.

Foods such as burgers and French fries are deep-fried, automatically making them bad in terms of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and stroke. On top of that, these foods also contain free radicals that result in premature death or damage to cells and tissues in the body. As a result, they tend to speed up the development of health conditions such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

Hot dogs
Processed meats are bad for one’s health precisely for the same reason why other processed foods are bad for health. Hot dogs, beef, and pork need to be avoided to keep the eyes healthy for the long term.

Bread and pasta
Bread and pasta are loaded to the brim with simple, super-refined carbohydrates. As is the case with any kind of refined food, these foods also contain several chemical preservatives and flavor enhancers, all of which have negative effects on one’s body.

Furthermore, simple carbohydrates spike up a person’s blood sugar levels. As a result, one feels hungry even after eating a lot of simple carbohydrate foods, making them intake a large portion of simple carbohydrates and refined foods. Also, foods such as bread and pasta have little to no nutritional value on their own. Therefore, adding these to one’s daily meals only serves to increase a person’s blood sugar levels, leading to conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Two of the most common long-term effects of diabetes are macular degeneration and rapidly progressive vision loss.

Therefore, one must steer clear of pasta, bread, white rice, and other foods containing simple carbohydrates.

Coffee
Caffeine-based foods such as coffee and, to an extent, even tea are harmful to one’s vision when taken frequently and in large quantities. Coffee, especially is instrumental in raising one’s intraocular pressure (IOP), known as the blood pressure inside a person’s eye. When the IOP rises beyond acceptable limits, one may lose their vision.

Like caffeine, foods rich in sugar, such as aerated drinks and cakes also deteriorate the quality of one’s eye health.

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