Foods and supplements help improve your vision

Foods and supplements help improve the quality of your visionThere is some evidence that some foods and supplements are rich in lutein, zeaxanthin and  Meso-zeaxanthin. They may help, or slow down age-related macular degeneration. This is one of the leading causes of visual loss in the UK. However, this remains controversial.
Should we all be taking supplements to protect, and even improve, our eyesight?
It is a good idea to eat kale and similar foodstuffs, see below. Research shows that supplements work. Even if you think you have a relatively healthy diet, where you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. You either have to try hard to eat all the right things to help the macula and the retina, or take food supplements.
Lutein is a yellow compound made by plants. It’s done to absorb blue light and animals, including us humans. You get it by eating those vegetables, and good sources are green kale and spinach, or even yellow yolks of eggs. You may be interested to know that industrially reared chickens are fed with Lutein. They make their yolks look more yellow.
Zeaxanthin is another yellow compound. It is almost identical to Lutein, made by plants to absorb light. It is the chemical that gives corn, bell peppers and saffrons their yellow colour.
Mesozeaxanthin is a form of Zeaxanthin which is not found in plants. But it made in the body from Lutein, and this depends on the efficiency of the body in that manufacture process. It is found in some fish, particularly in the skin. And also in supplements that contain marigold extract.
One good way to take supplements is to make smoothies. The Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Mesozeaxanthin are all keratinoids. They are mostly foundable in the green parts of plants above the ground. Nevertheless, carrots are also good for smoothies although they grow under the ground. When you take these substances, you also require a little bit of fat with your diet. You do that to help absorb them, as they are fat-soluble chemicals.
This blog is based on Michael Mosley’s presentation ‘Trust Me I Am A Doctor’ broadcast Thursday 8th September on BBC2 at 20.00 BST.