A study by the Westmead Institute for Medical Research has shown that oranges reduce the risk of developing late macular degeneration by as much as 60 percent. That means that for older adults, eating a serving of oranges each day may be the best safeguard against age-related vision loss.
Researchers at the Institute discovered that the flavonoids in oranges provide special protection against age-related macular degeneration, a common cause of vision loss in adults over age 50.
“Essentially we found that people who eat at least one serving of oranges every day have a reduced risk of developing macular degeneration compared with people who never eat oranges,” says lead author Bamini Gopinath from the University of Sydney. “Even eating an orange once a week seems to offer significant benefits.”
Researchers based their findings on data collected through the Blue Mountains Eye Study, a longitudinal study of the impact of diet and lifestyle on health and chronic disease outcomes.
Of the 2,037 participants who completed the study, researchers found a direct correlation with consumption of oranges and a reduced risk of macular degeneration.
Studyfinds.org reported that researchers say future cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings. The ultimate goal is a better understanding of how environmental and genetic factors influence health outcomes.
