(Integrative Medicine) - New evidence suggests that proper nutrition, including the antioxidant vitamin C, may protect women against age-related cataracts. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who consume vitamin C supplements for at least ten years may reduce their risk of cataracts by as much as 60 percent.

Cataracts develop when the lens of an eye becomes cloudy, often impairing vision. An estimated 45% of people older than 75 years of age have cataracts that significantly impair vision. Although proper nutrition has been linked to eye health, little is known about specific nutrients and how they relate to two particular types of cataracts known as cortical and posterior subcapsular (PSC) cataracts. In cortical cataracts, cloudiness affects the front of the lens while PSC cataracts often develop at the back of the lens.

In the current study, researchers from Tufts University observed 492 healthy women between the ages of 53 and 73 years. In 1993, the participants received a detailed eye examination to detect cortical and PSC cataracts. The researchers evaluated the participants' average nutrient intake from five food-frequency questionnaires collected over a 13-15 year period prior to the eye examination.

They found that women under 60 years of age with daily vitamin C intakes of 362 mg or more were 57% less likely to develop cortical cataracts than those with intakes of less than 140 mg per day. Women who consumed vitamin C supplements for at least 10 years also had 60% lower odds of developing cortical cataracts than those who did not consume these supplements. Additionally, the risk of PSC cataracts was significantly lower among non-smokers with the highest intakes of folate and total carotenoids.

"Our results support a role for vitamin C in diminishing the risk of cortical cataracts in women less than 60 years of age and for carotenoids in diminishing the risk of PSC cataracts in women who have never smoked," the researchers conclude.

References

Taylor A, Jacques PF, Chylack LT, et al. Long-term intake of vitamins and carotenoids and odds of early age-related cortical and posterior subcapsular lens opacities. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;75:540-549.