Foods Low on Glycemic Index May Protect Eyes

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People may slash their risks of getting the incurable eye disease macular degeneration (AMD) by more than 60 percent by eating foods low on the glycemic index, nutrition experts report.

Researchers from Tufts and Harvard universities said in April's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that eating plans low on the glycemic index are frequently richer in micronutrients, which are essential for eye health.

In the study, Tufts and Harvard researchers followed the eating plans of more than 525 women 62 and over in a federal health study for 10 years. Chung-Jung Chiu, the chief researcher from Tufts, said women who held their total carbohydrate intake constant were twice as likely to develop an early form of age-related macular degeneration than women whose numbers of carbs were on the low end of the glycemic index. What's more, women who consumed carbs on the high end of the index were 50-percent more likely to develop actual macular degeneration, he added.

The study backs up Dutch research that showed eating plans full of vitamins C and E, zinc and beta-carotene also reduced the risks of age-related macular degeneration by a third.

In the editorial, Mares and Moeller noted that studies link diets low on the glycemic scale to slower development of high blood pressure and heart disease, two risk factors for age-related macular degeneration.

"Diets with a low GI often include plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and milk and few refined grains and sugars," they said.