A radical new health breakthrough suggests that eating grapes can slow or help shield you from the most common cause of age-related blindness. That which wine is made from could protect against macular degeneration!
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a debilitating condition that affects millions of older adults. A new study published in “Free Radical Biology and Medicine” has found that the antioxidant power of grapes could help protect your eyes against this disease.
The study compared the impact of an antioxidant-rich diet on vision using mice prone to developing retinal damage in old age. (This is much the same way as humans do.) Mice either received a grape-enriched diet, a diet with added “lutein,” or a normal diet.
In the end, grapes offered dramatic protection. The grape-filled diet protected against oxidative damage in the retina. Mice consuming grapes did not develop blindness. While lutein, a natural chemical known for its vision-boosting abilities, was also effective, grapes were far more protective.
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Researchers call this “remarkable.” Age-related vision loss may be caused by cumulative oxidative damage over time. So having kept a diet rich in natural antioxidants for a longer — particularly grapes — appears to be directly beneficial for vision.
AMD is progressive eye condition, leading to the deterioration of the center of the retina (the “macula”). Aging retinas are linked with oxidative damage — and this stress plays a pivotal role in the development of AMD.
The study showed that adding grapes to the diet prevented blindness in mice by significantly decreasing the build-up of “lipofuscin” and preventing oxidative damage to the retinal cells. Lipofuscin are waste products that build up in retinal cells and trigger the onset of AMD.
This is definitely good news for people of all ages who love their grapes, already known to be very nutritious and beneficial to health. Grapes offer a possible array of health benefits.
From their nutrient profile, grapes are believed to exert anti-inflammatory benefits, antioxidant benefits, heart-boosting powers, anti-aging possibilities, cognitive benefits, and even cancer-fighting properties. They are loaded with several essential nutrients, but it is their wealth of phytochemicals that exert the biggest health benefits for us…and, of course, are the main push behind red wine’s reputed health powers.