Prevent Macular Degeneration

Age related macular degeneration is a disease of the eyes that can cause blindness as you get older. There are two basic kinds of macular degeneration, wet and dry. Dry macular degeneration occurs approximately 90 percent of the time while wet macular degeneration occurs approximately 10 percent of the time. Despite the fact that wet MD is more treatable it affects people much quicker and can progress very quickly. No matter what kind of MD you may have or may develop however there are ways to treat it and there are things you can do to try and prevent macular degeneration.

First of all it has been shown in clinical studies that you can prevent macular degeneration up to 35 percent by consuming more Lutein and Zeaxanthin in your normal every day diet. These carotenoids are found in abundance in leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale as well as eggs. Among the many nutritional benefits of eating your greens (kale by the way is one of the most nutrient packed vegetables you can find) this is a safe an easy way to increase your odds of preventing macular degeneration.

Similarly the nutrient zinc has also been shown to assist in the prevention of macular degeneration. You can safely lower your risks for developing this condition as you age by simply making sure to eat more foods with zinc such as fortified breakfast cereals, shellfish, or basic zinc supplementation.

Nutrition however is not the only way to prevent macular degeneration; it is highly correlated with obesity and excess weight, wet macular degeneration especially. One fantastic way of lowering your risks for this condition, as well as lowering your risks for developing a whole host of other health conditions, is to simply lose weight. Statistically speaking people who are overweight are 50 percent more likely to develop macular degeneration that people who are a normal weight. Of course you can go about your choice of a weight loss plan any way you wish but the important part is to drop those extra pounds.

Age related macular degeneration is a fairly scary condition as it gets worse over time. Once the degeneration begins it doesn’t really every correct itself which is why it’s important to do what you can early in your life to prevent macula degeneration before it ever becomes a problem. Sometimes prevention tactics do not work; that is the very nature of risk. You can never eliminate it but you can lower it. Lose some weight and improve your nutritional consumption habits and hopefully you can succeed in preventing macular degeneration.