Washington, June 10: Want to keep your vision clear as the years go by? Put fatty fish on your menu at least twice a week says a new study.
Researchers have found that eating fish like salmon and tuna at least twice a week can help prevent a devastating eye disease the age-related muscular degeneration which is said to be the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.
Over time the back part of the eye can degenerate causing the disease which can also be triggered by new blood vessels growing and bleeding in the region.
According to the study by Tufts University, the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish offers protection against the eye disease, the British media reported.
For their study, the researchers questioned 3,000 people about their general diet and then monitored development of the condition over eight years.
Half of the volunteers were given some form of daily supplement including antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and beta-carotene.
The findings showed that progression to both the dry and wet forms of advanced disease was 25 per cent less likely among those who ate a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
And those who took the antioxidants as well as zinc and beta-carotene were 50 per cent more likely to develop the advanced disease, according to the study published in a British journal.
The study also found that eating foods like wholegrain bread which release sugar slowly into the bloodstream could protect against the disease developing.
Substituting five slices of white bread for wholegrain every day could cut the chance of the disease progressing over five years by eight per cent, the researchers found.
Combining high levels of omega 3 fatty acids and a low carbohydrate diet can reduce the risk of progression to advanced disease even further by 50 per cent the study also found.
–Agencies