Regular consumption of this antioxidant-rich fruit can improve eye health in older people, according to researchers at the University of Singapore.
Preserving vision is an important issue as we age. We know that certain foods such as carrotsspinach, blueberries or even the Cassis are renowned for their benefits on vision but not only. In a study carried out on 34 adults, researchers from the National University of Singapore were interested in a particular fruit, that we love eat from August to October and its effects on vision: grapes. “THE oxidative stress is a key risk factor for impairment visual and consumption offoods rich in antioxidants can help manage visual impairments. However, a limited number of studies have investigated the effect of antioxidant-rich foods, including grapes, on the eye health of older adults. they explain in the magazine Food&Function. For their randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a duration of 16 weeksthey asked half of their volunteers to consume 46 g of freeze-dried grape powder (i.e. about 1 and a half cups) per day and on the other the same quantity of powder of a placebo.
“This is the first time that we have demonstrated the impact of this fruit on eye health”
Scientists have regularly evaluated:
- macular pigment optical density (MPOD or DOPM, the higher the MPOD, the more concentrated the macular pigment, which means better protection of the retina against the harmful effects of light and reduced risk of eye diseases).
- the status of skin carotenoids,
- the status of advanced glycation end products or AGEs (negative compounds that damage tissues, promote inflammation and premature aging),
- and food intake in lutein (natural pigment good for eye health)
Results: Regular consumption of grapes was associated with increased improvement of optical density of macular pigment, to a better protection of eye cells against damage linked to oxidative stress, an increase in the total content of phenols (protective antioxidant compounds for ocular tissues) and a reduction in AGEs. “Our study is the first to show that the consumption of grape has a beneficial impact on human eye healthwhich is very interesting, especially with a growing aging population”, said the study’s lead author, Dr. Jung Eun Kim. All that’s left is now!