Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Macular Degeneration part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In my last blog I began the conversation on macular degeneration. Today I’ll be finishing that important topic. Let’s start with the most common risk factors for macular degeneration. One of the largest risk factors for …
Macular Degeneration part 1 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Macular Degeneration is more common than you might think. In fact according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology age related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of vision loss in those age 50 and …
Grape Seed for our vision?
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
A simple internet search for grape seed will show you how amazing grape seed really is! In fact most people know some of the benefits of Grape Seed. But what they may not know is just how amazing it is for our eyes. Let’s get going, shall we?
Grape Seed extract contains powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants are called oligomeric proanthocyanidins complex’s (OPCs). This is important because so many of the benefits of Grape Seed extract come back to this point. Additionally it is important because there have been studies that have found the antioxidants found in Grape Seed to be much stronger than other antioxidants. In fact in 1 study people who took 300mg of grapeseed extract saw an increase in blood antioxidant activity in only 5 days! Moving on to how this correlates to eye health a study in 2012 found that having a healthy level of antioxidants can protect our eyes from oxidative damage. (1)
Let’s start with a familiar topic, cataracts! Studies have found that Grape Seed extract can help to delay cataract formation by protecting cells from oxidative damage. (2) Another study found that Grape Seed extract can slow the progression of cataract formation. (3) One last study that I’ll mention before moving on found that Grape Seed extract may slow or even prevent cataractogenesis (process of formation of a cataract) or even secondary cataract formation. (4)
Since I’ll be reviewing so many conditions that affect the eyes I’ll only be reviewing these as they relate to Grape Seed extract. One of those I’ll be reviewing in full soon is macular degeneration! Please look out for my blog on macular degeneration soon. According to the Macular Society oxidants in the eye, which may contribute to the development of macular degeneration can be reduced by antioxidants. (5) As I mentioned earlier in this blog Grape Seed extract is an amazingly powerful antioxidant! The next topic, which I’ll be reviewing soon is glaucoma. Now in one study Grape Seed extract was found to protect the retinal from damage in those with glaucoma. (6)
Diabetic retinopathy is a concern that all diabetics face. Now I do want to point out that it is important to make sure that your diabetes is under control to help reduce the damage that the high sugars can cause. For more information please check out my series on diabetes! Now moving on studies have found that Grape Seed extract may protect you from diabetic retinopathy. (7) Studies have also found that Grape Seed can help to protect the retina from injury due to diabetes and elevated blood sugar. (8)
Overall to sum things up studies have found that Grape Seed extract can help protect our eyes especially by reducing oxidative stress in our eyes. (9) Now where can you find Grape Seed in the Invite health line of products? Invite Health has a formula called Grape Seed Extract with 250mg of grape seed per capsule! Grape Seed is also found in the Daily Multi with Grape Seed. Lastly there is Grape Seed extract in all of Invite’s Resveratrol products. For help picking out the best products for your needs feel free to reach out to an Invite nutritionist!
Our next topic will be Macular Degeneration!
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HEPATITIS~ THE TYPES, THE SUPPORT AND CAN IT BE PREVENTED? By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Hepatitis is a disease that we’ve all heard about and it also triggers fear for many when it’s discussed. It is often associated with hypodermic needle drug users, …
Cataracts Explained Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I wanted to start off this topic on vision with cataracts for one simple reason – it’s extremely common. In fact I bet you know someone who has cataracts whether it be a relative or friend. Just how …
Complete Eye Support with Macula Advanced!
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
When someone calls and asks about a product for eye health one of the first things I recommend is our Macula Advanced. Personally in my opinion Macula Advanced really hits all the marks. Not only is it an easy to swallow and digest capsule it is also chock full of nutrients for our eyes. I bet your thinking something along the lines of “but Dr. Claire isn’t that formula just for macular degeneration”? Well my answer is nope! It is great for so many of the conditions that affect our eyes. So let’s get into the nitty-gritty of why I like this formula so much, shall we?
Let’s start with the vitamin portion first. Vitamin A, the very first item is a power house when it comes to eye health. What does WebMD have to say about Vitamin A? Well it states that “Vitamin A helps to maintain and can help prevent age related macular degeneration”. Vitamin A has also been found to help slow vision loss in those with macular degeneration. Vitamin A deficiency is also associated with poor night vision. (1)
Vitamin C is another powerful nutrient when it comes to our overall health. But did you know how great it is for our eyes? According to the American optometric Association there is evidence that Vitamin C can reduce the risk of cataracts. There is also evidence that it can slow the progression of macular degeneration. Lastly there is evidence Vitamin C may help with visual acuity. (2) According to newer studies nerve cells in the eye need Vitamin C to work properly. (3) Studies have also found that Vitamin C can lower the risk of diabetic retinopathy by up to 50% after 8 years. (4)
The next item in Macula Advanced is Zinc. Now I bet you are thinking – but wait isn’t that just for our immune system? Nope it’s great for eye health too! Studies have found that zinc can help with vision loss especially in those with macular degeneration. (5) Zinc has also been found to help with slowing down cataract formation especially in those with diabetes. (6) Lastly Vitamin E has been found to help protect the cells in the eyes from free radicles which can cause damage. (2)
In addition to the vitamins that help eye health Macula Advanced contains certain select nutrients that can help with eye health. The first nutrient, one of my favorite is NAC. This has been found to help protect retinal cells from oxidative damage which is important when working with conditions such as macular degeneration. (7) Bilberry, another nutrient has been studied and found to help with protecting our eyes. For example bilberry has been found to help with dry eye. (8) Cassis fruit is an excellent source of anthocyanins which have been found to potentially help with both myopia and glaucoma. (9) According to studies both Lutein and Zeaxanthin are all important nutrients for keeping our eyes protected from such concerns as macular degeneration and cataracts. (1). Lastly Lycopene has been found to help with both cataracts and macular degeneration. (11)
Overall as you can see Macula Advanced is an amazing overall formula for our eye health! Our next topic is going to be something that comes up all the time – Cataracts!
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