The Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research conducts epidemiological and laboratory research. For epidemiologic studies we collaborate with the Nurses' Health Study at Harvard University, The Age-Related Eye Diseases Study of the National Eye Institute of NIH, The Melbourne Visual Impairment Project (VIP) and The Rotterdam study in Holland.

We have observed that:

CARBOHYDRATE

• Elevated carbohydrate intake, as measured by total carbohydrate intake or dietary glycemic index, is related to increased risk for lens opacities and age-related macular degeneration in our Nutrition and Vision Project subset of the Nurses Health Study, in the Age Related Eye Diseases Study, and Melbourne, VIP cohorts. These results are now being corroborated by other researchers such as The Blue Mountain study in Australia. The data allow prediction that decreasing dietary glycemic index about 10% would decrease risk for AMD by 20% and save 100,000 people from AMD-related blindness over 8 years.

ANTIOXIDANTS

• Provide protection against nuclear and cortical opacity, particularly the elderly.
• The prevalence of nuclear opacities was significantly lower for women who used vitamin C supplements for >10 years relative to women who never used vitamin C supplements.
• Higher levels of vitamin C, vitamin E, riboflavin, folate, a-carotene, and lutein/zeaxanthin were associated with lower risk for nuclear cataract.
• Intake of vitamin C of 300 mg/ day provides benefit over intake of 140 mg/day (although the latter is twice the RDA). Intake of vitamin C in excess of about 300 mg/day appears to provide no additional benefit. Higher plasma, vitamin C and E is also inversely associated with lower prevalence of nuclear opacities.
• There is a statistically significant decrease in prevalence of nuclear opacities with increasing duration of use of vitamin C, vitamin E, and multivitamin supplements.
• For women < 60 years of age, having vitamin C intake >362 mg/day (vs <140 mg/day) was associated with decreased odds for cortical cataract, and use of vitamin C supplements >10 years was associated with 60% decreased odds for cortical cataract.
• For posterior subcapsular cataract, in never smokers there was decreased odds if folate intake was >548 ug/day (vs <284 mg/day), 81% decreased odds in persons with higher (24 vs 12 mg/day) total carotenoid intake, 71% decreased odds in persons with higher alpha (1.2 vs 0.4 mg/day) or beta carotene intake (6.6 vs 3.0 mg/day).
• Onset or progression of cataract over 5 years is diminished 29% in users of vitamin E supplements for >10 years.

OVERWEIGHT

• Overweight with diabetes increases the odds for posterior subcapsular opacities.
• Diabetes increases odds for PSC opacities 4-fold.
• BMI > 30 or waist size > 89 (35") is associated with two fold increase in prevalence of PSC opacities.

ALCOHOL

• Consumption of hard alcohol is associated with increased risk for nuclear and cortical opacities. In contrast, moderate wine drinking decreases the risk for cortical opacities.

FOOD PATTERNS

• Eating according to the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" is associated with decreased odds for nuclear opacities.
• Eating foods that are rich in lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3 fats may protect against AMD.

FATS

• Fat intake is related to risk for cataract.

Chiu CJ, Taylor, A. (2007) Review: Nutritional Antioxidants and Age-Related Cataract and Maculopathy. Exp. Eye Res. 84, 229-245.

© Tufts University, 1995 - 2007