January 4, 2019 - Nutrition
Hey folks, it’s Dr. Sam and I want to talk to you today about the benefits of avocados – especially if you’ve been diagnosed with macular degeneration or another eye disease.
We know that avocados contain an incredible amount of antioxidants. They also contain the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which are very important for macular health.
I’m going to point you to a study that was published in 2003 in Investigative Ophthalmology. Researchers took 380 men and women between the ages of 66 to 75 and these are folks that have been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration.
Using plasma levels, they measured their lutein and zeaxanthin and found that these patients had very low levels of carotenoids.
This complements the AREDS and AREDS2 studies that showed how critically important these carotenoids are for protecting the macula and vision.
Avocados are one of the richest sources of these antioxidants and also deliver other key nutrients and healthful fats to our body. So I recommend eating an avocado a day as a part of your overall regimen for improving your diet, health, and vision.