Beta carotene pills may not save eyesight
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
The Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Carrots, rich in beta carotene, long have been thought to sharpen eyesight, but a new study suggests that beta carotene pills are powerless against a common type of vision loss among older people.
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in people 65 and older. The condition blurs the center of the field of vision, making it difficult to read, drive, thread a needle and even recognize faces. It affects more than 10 million Americans and there is no cure.
An earlier large study had shown that beta carotene — when taken with certain vitamins and zinc — could slow or prevent vision loss in people with age-related macular degeneration. Commercial formulations of the eye-protecting combination vitamins are sold over the counter. [...]
Anyway, for those of you who might have missed it, carrots never really have been all that when it comes to improving your peepers. Here's an article dealing with just how we got to thinking that carrots made you see better. You really do need the vitamins found in carrots (and other vegetables like them) but the carrot as super-vision-maker actually began as a spoof in the early days of World War II by the RAF, who didn't want to tip off the Germans about the radar their night fighter pilots were using, and instead offered up the idea to the press that the pilots were eating lots of carrots to improve their vision.
Simpler times, eh?
Why nowadays, the mighty giants of the press (in the interest of the public's right to know) would expose the propagandists nefarious scheme, then do a detailed analysis of the radar sets (along with a handy German-language version), and then bitterly complain about the unwinnability of the conflict now that the Nazis had gotten hold of the secret.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at March 12, 2007 03:45 PMThey can't wear glasses because their ears are in the wrong place.
Posted by: kitchen hand at March 13, 2007 12:50 AMCarrots WILL make you see better if you are deficient in Vitamin A.
It's possible that even very serious eye conditions might have a connection to carrots and other things you eat, though it remains difficult to truly determine if this kind of association is valid. If proven, it could then be a factor, for example, in the case of macular degeneration, an age-related eye disease and the leading cause of blindness in older people.(the Macula is a part of the retina at the back of the eye)The macula of the eye contains two carotenoids similar to vitamin A (lutein and zeaxanthin) which are obtained from sweetcorn, carrots and other yellow-orange fruit and veg as well as dark green leafy vegetables.
Poor dietary intake of carotenoids is thought to be the main cause of this condition and those who eat the most carotenoids have at least a 60 per cent lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) of the eye than those with low intake.
Carrots can also help in fighting conjunctivitis/blepharitis, Retinopathy and Cataracts.
Vitamin A derived from carrots helps to form the inner lining of the eye. Dietary carotenoids from sources like carrots and spinach along with a consistent long-term use of Vitamin C were shown to reduce the risk of developing cataracts severe enough to warrant surgery. Researchers at the University of Helsinki found that supplementation of 20 mg. of betacarotene daily improved the visual acuity of 1,200 males and significantly reduced cataract formation.
Posted by: John at March 13, 2007 06:46 AMSure, carrots can help, but as you note, and as I also noted, they are not the only source of Vitamin A.
Second, there are other vegetables that have higher concentrations of beta carotene per calorie--according to this chart, they are only 15th on a list of 999 vegetables, beaten out by things like spinach, kale, and hot peppers.
Third, the popular perception from years past is that carrots were the absolute best thing to improve eyesight--even in the absence of any macular degeneration. As noted in the linked article, there is no doubt that they are beneficial to eyesight, but they are no better or worse than any other vegetable with similar amounts of Vitamin A or beta carotene, and their positive atttributes were given much more weight due to the RAF's misdirection about how their pilots were so effective at night.
Carrots are nice and sweet and crunchy and I love them boiled or raw, but in the end, they are just one of a variety of vegetables that are beneficial to overall health, and it does a disservice to people to insist they are better than anything else.
Thanks for dropping by though--and may the Carrot Museum continue to thrive.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at March 13, 2007 08:01 AMOh man, a carrot museum!?! What's next, a potato (or do say potatoe?) museum?!? Spuds!
If carrots were good enough for that Oscar-winning rabbit, Bugs Bunny, then they're good enough for me. He never had to wear glasses (unless he was in disguise). Wasn't he also the "Masked-Carrot"?
I'm struggling with glaucoma now and have permanently lost some vision in my left eye. It's incredible how you take your vision for granted until you start to lose it.
Posted by: Marc V at March 13, 2007 09:02 AMTrue enough--I've got a family history of cataracts and glaucoma, and I'm always nervous anytime something goes blurry.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at March 13, 2007 09:17 AM