Combat cataracts

A recent Australian study suggests eating five or more servings of fruit and veges each day will help reduce the risk of cataracts later in life.

Researchers in the Blue Mountains Eye Study noted the cataract status, diet and supplement intake of more than 3000 Australian adults aged 49 years and older. Assessing the cataract status of the same subjects five years then ten years later showed ten years on, adults with the highest vitamin C intake at the start of the study were less likely to have nuclear cataracts (the cataract which forms in the nucleus, the centre of the lens, of the eye). An above-average intake of combined antioxidants (vitamins A, C, E and zinc) was also linked with a lower risk of nuclear cataracts.

Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June 2008