Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

Want to prevent macular degeneration? Make sure you’re getting enough vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and folate. A study funded by the National Eye Institute involved over 5,200 women over the age of 40.¹ After 7 years, the women who took a daily supplement of the three B vitamins enjoyed a 41% reduced risk of macular degeneration, compared to the women in the placebo group. In each serving of this fish dish, you’ll enjoy nearly 90% of the daily requirement for vitamin B12 plus 69% of the daily requirement for vitamin B6. Serve with a side of roasted asparagus — a rich source of folate — to get the sight-saving trio of nutrients and round out the meal.

According to American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF), there are approximately200,000 new cases of macular degeneration in the U.S. each year and more than 10 million sufferers.1 Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the name given to that group of diseases that cause sight-sensing cells in the macular zone of the retina to malfunction or lose function.

AMD occurs primarily in two forms: dry and wet.

Dry AMD affects about 90 percent of those with the disease.¹ Its cause is unknown. Slowly, the light-sensitive cells in the macula break down. With less of the macula working, you may start to lose central vision in the affected eye as the years go by. Dry AMD often occurs in just one eye at first. You may get the disease later in the other eye. Doctors have no way of knowing if or when both eyes may be affected.

Wet AMD accounts for 90 percent of all severe vision loss from the disease, but only about 10 to 15 percent of all people with AMD have this type.¹ It occurs when new blood vessels behind the retina start to grow toward the macula. Because these new blood vessels tend to be very fragile, they will often leak blood and fluid under the macula. This causes rapid damage to the macula that can lead to the loss of central vision in a short period of time.

Worried about losing your eyesight in old-age?

Age-related macular degeneration, (AMD) affects more Americans than glaucoma and cataracts combined. As you grow older, your risk increases dramatically.

Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do to prevent it from happening to you. You’re about to learn a few simple steps you can take to avoid it.

A study reported this July in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a diet higher in refined carbohydrates (high glycemic index foods) significantly increased the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.