Casual Wine Drinkers will benefit from a slower progression of their cataracts!
A new study published in Ophthalmology by NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology shows that moderate wine drinkers are less likely to require cataract surgery.
The study enrolled 490,000 participants in the UK and assessed their alcohol consumption and other known health habits that affects cataract development and found that low amount of wine consumption decreases the progression of the cataracts.
This might be associated that the skins of the grapes are rich in antioxidants, specifically polyphenol antioxidants.
Cataract is the cloudiness of the natural lens that occurs as result of the oxidative stress that occurs with aging.
Symptoms of cataracts are blurry vision, halos, and glare and include difficulties to drive at night among others. The treatment for cataracts is surgical removal, which is performed one eye at a time under sedation in a surgical facility. The cloudy lens is removed and replaced by a permanent implant. The restrictions after cataract surgery are to avoid heavy lifting and bending for one week and rubbing of the eyes.
Three facts about cataracts:
- Between 1 to 3 glasses of wine a week can delay the progression of cataracts
- Cataract is not a disease is the natural aging of the lens
- Rich diets in antioxidant, like Mediterranean, slowdown the progression of aging
