Resources

Resources: Nutrition & Vision: Benefits of Antioxidants

 

May Help Protect Eyes, Lungs and Brain

Prepared by Annette Dickinson, Ph.D.

Council for Responsible Nutrition

June 2002

 

There is substantial scientific evidence suggesting that generous intakes of a variety of antioxidant nutrients can help protect vision, lung function, and neurological function, especially in the aging population.

 

Cataracts

Vitamin C is 60 times more concentrated in the lens of the eye than in blood plasma, and other antioxidants are also concentrated in the lens.Opacity of the lens of the eye is one of the first signals that cataracts are developing.Cataracts are the cause of blindness throughout the world, and antioxidants are believed to play a role in protecting against cataracts.Scientists have suggested that the adequate provision of antioxidant vitamins might delay cataract development sufficiently to decrease the number of cataract operations in the United States by one-half.

 

In the Nutrition and Vision Project (NVP), the development of cataracts (lens opacity) in almost 500 women over the age of 50 was studied in relation to their usual nutrient intake over a period of 13 to 15 years prior to the visual exam.The prevalence of lens opacities was lower in women with higher intakes of Vitamin C and in women who had used a Vitamin C supplement for 10 years or more.“Results from the NVP provide further evidence that antioxidant nutrients are associated with risk of age-related lens opacification.Total Vitamin C intake from diet and supplements was associated with a lower prevalence of nuclear opalescence.”Vitamin C intake in the lowest quintile was as high as 140 mg per day, which is almost double the RDA for women.Yet the risk of lens opacity decreased in each quintile as Vitamin C intake went up to 180, 240, and even 360 mg per day.It has been estimated that tissues in the human eye become saturated with Vitamin C at intakes in the range of 200 to 300 mg per day.Vitamin E, lutein and zeaxanthin also had protective effects, but these were not clearly independent of the Vitamin C effect, since women with a high Vitamin C intake tended to have higher intakes of the other nutrients as well.

 

“In reviewing the available evidence, I was impressed by the powerful benefit that the simple,daily intake of a multivitamin can have on overall immune function of the elderly,” said Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., the author of the report and CRN vise president, scientific and regulatory affairs.

 

“Research has found that consistent use of multivitamins and other supplements can significantly boost resistance to infectious diseases.This is a valuable insight which can translate into tremendous improvement in quality of life for older people.”

 

Dr. Dickinson noted that common perceptions regarding the poor health status of the elderly can mask simple solutions for promoting and maintaining good health.“The elderly are certainly more venerable as a population to infectious diseases and degenerative conditions.Yet studies show we should not accept illness as the status quo for the elderly.Science continues to demonstrate steps that older people and their caregivers can take to help prevent illness and promote health.In the case of dietary supplements, these steps are simple and relatively inexpensive,”she said.

 

Highlights from the report findings include:

·Research has found that while many Americans' diets are deficient in the intake of critical nutrients like calcium, Vitamin D and Vitamin E, these deficiencies are far more common and pronounced among the elderly.In some studies,as many as 80% of subjects had inadequate intakes of four or more key nutrients.

 

·Elderly people residing in nursing homes are typically at even greater risk of unrecognized inadequacies of vitamins and minerals.While other nutritional problems commonly observed in the nursing home environment may be difficult to remedy, researchers have recognized the value of supplements in avoiding major “nutrition gaps.”

 

·Maintaining bone density is an area of particular importance for elderly women and men alike.One top researcher in the field estimates that proper supplementation with calcium and Vitamin D in the elderly could reduce the rate of hip fractures by at least 20% meaning 40,000 to 50,000 fewer hip fractures each year in the United States - for an average annual savings of $1.5 to 2 billion. ·There is growing scientific evidence of the positive impact of antioxidants (Vitamin C and E) on both eye and brain function.Studies have linked antioxidants with a reduced risk of developing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 65 in the United States and other Western countries.Other research has found the use of Vitamin C and E supplements had a significant protective effect in reducing the risk of dementia, as well as in improving overall cognitive function.

 

“Data regarding the real benefits of nutritional supplements for the elderly is both substantial and growing, particularly in the area of immune function,” said Ramjit Chandra, M.D., university research professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada.“Responsible health care professionals must take a more active role in stressing the importance of a consistent supplement regime for elderly patients, as part of an ongoing approach to disease prevention.”

 

Dr. Dickinson is an expert on the benefits of vitamins and minerals who has worked in the field since 1973.In 1995, President Clinton appointed Dr. Dickinson to the Commission on Dietary Supplement Labels, and in 2002 she was named to the Food Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).She is the author of numerous papers and is frequently asked to speak on the topic of dietary supplements to policy-making, scientific and other audiences.

 

The full report and additional press materials, including graphics and information on how to purchase a copy of The Benefits of Nutritional Supplements, are available on the CRN website at www.cmusa.org/benefits.html

 

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing ingredient suppliers and manufacturers in the dietary supplement industry.CRN members adhere to a strong code of ethics, comply with dosage limits and manufacture dietary supplements to high quality standards under good manufacturing practices,The dietary supplement industry is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as well as by government agencies in each of the 50 states.

 

From:The Benefits of Nutritional Supplements, Copyright © 2002 Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).All rights reserved.Republication ore redistribution of CRN content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of CRN.