The healing power of oranges Regular consumption prevents vision loss and blindness

Why ingredients of oranges can protect against blindness

Oranges are tasty and also very healthy. Researchers now found that consuming regular oranges can protect people from one of the main causes of blindness.

The researchers at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research found in their current research that regular consumption of oranges may protect against one of the main causes of blindness. The physicians published the results of their study in the English language journal "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition".

What is the age-related macular degeneration?

Researchers from Australia investigated in their study whether eating citrus fruit affects the likelihood of developing blindness when people suffer from macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of vision loss in people over the age of 60 years. It affects the macula, the central area of ​​the retina. In the US alone, up to eleven million people have some form of age-related macular degeneration, experts suggest. The condition causes the loss of central vision, which is essential for clearly recognizing objects.

More than 2,850 participants were examined

For their study, researchers analyzed data from more than 2,856 Australian adults aged 49 years and over a 15-year period. The data comes from the Blue Mountains Eye Study, one of the world's largest epidemiological studies. It contains information about factors such as the lifestyle of a participant and the diseases he has developed.

Daily consumption of oranges reduced the risk by 60 percent

Daily consumption of at least one serving of oranges was associated with a 60 percent reduction in the overall risk of macular degeneration 15 years later. The medical community believes that flavonoids in oranges could help prevent the disease. In essence, it could be found that people who eat a portion of oranges at least every day have a lower risk of developing macular degeneration compared to people who never eat oranges, study author explains. Bamini Gopinath of the Westmead Institute for Medical Research.

Which foods could have a similar effect?

The current research builds on previous studies, which have already indicated that vitamins C, E and A in oranges are beneficial to the eyes. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties found in most fruits and vegetables. The scientists also found that other foods with flavonoids, such as tea, apples and red wine, have no similar effect. Previous research has already suggested that foods with nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, lutein, and vitamin C and vitamin E could prevent macular degeneration and cataracts. Such foods include leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and cabbage; oily fish such as salmon and tuna; Protein sources such as eggs, nuts, beans, citrus fruits as well as oysters and pork. (As)