An orange a day keeps eye disease away
Friday, 20 July, 2018
There鈥檚 more to oranges than meets the eye 鈥� or in this case, eye diseases.
Oranges have always been known for their Vitamin C and health benefits, but a new study has shown that people who regularly eat oranges are less likely to develop macular degeneration.
Researchers at the interviewed more than 2000 Australian adults aged over 50 and followed them over a 15-year period.
The research showed that people who ate at least one serving of oranges every day had more than a 60% reduced risk of developing late macular degeneration 15 years thereafter.
Lead Researcher Associate Professor Bamini Gopinath from the said the data showed that flavonoids in oranges appear to help prevent against the eye disease.
鈥淓ssentially we found that people who eat at least one serve of orange every day have a reduced risk of developing macular degeneration compared with people who never eat oranges,鈥� she said.
鈥淓ven eating an orange once a week seems to offer significant benefits.
鈥淭he data shows that flavonoids found in oranges appear to help protect against the disease.鈥�
Associate Professor Gopinath said that until now, most research has focused on the effects of common nutrients such as vitamins C, E and A on the eyes.
鈥淥ur research is different because we focused on the relationship between flavonoids and macular degeneration.
鈥淔lavonoids are powerful antioxidants found in almost all fruits and vegetables, and they have important anti-inflammatory benefits for the immune system.
鈥淲e examined common foods that contain flavonoids, such as tea, apples, red wine and oranges.
鈥淪ignificantly, the data did not show a relationship between other food sources protecting the eyes against the disease,鈥� she said.
One in seven Australians over 50 have some signs of macular degeneration. Age is the strongest known risk factor and the disease is more likely to occur after the age of 50.
There is currently no cure for the disease.
The research compiled data from the Blue Mountains Eye Study, a benchmark population-based study that started in 1992.
It is one of the world鈥檚 largest epidemiology studies, measuring diet and lifestyle factors against health outcomes and a range of chronic diseases.
The is available online at the .
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