Recent Longevity News for the fourteen days ending 7/16/14:

Omega-3s in Diet May Help Ward Off Lou Gehrig's Disease - WebMD, 7/15/14 - "For the study, Fitzgerald's team looked at the association between ALS and these fatty acids among almost 1,000 ALS patients ... People ranked in the top 20 percent in terms of their omega-3 fatty acid intake cut their odds of developing ALS by a third, compared to those in the bottom 20 percent" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.

Let the Sun Shine: Vitamin D in CRC - Medscape, 7/14/14 - "The investigators found strong associations between plasma 25-OHD concentration and colorectal cancer-specific mortality (P = .008) and all-cause mortality (P = .003). Adjusted hazards ratios were 0.68 (95% CI, 0.50 to 0.90) and 0.70 (95% CI, 0.55 to 0.89), respectively (highest vs lowest 25-OHD tertile), particularly in stage II disease (hazard ratio, 0.44; P = .004 for CRC-specific mortality)" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

New Hypertension After 80 Linked to Lower Dementia Risk - Medscape, 7/14/14 - "Risk for Dementia by Measured Blood Pressure at 90+ Study Baseline

Blood Pressure Category (mmHg) Relative Risk
<120 systolic or < 80 diastolic Reference
129-139 systolic or 80-89 diastolic 0.76
140-169 systolic or 90-99 diastolic 0.72
160+ systolic or 100+ diastolic 0.58

This analysis was adjusted for use of antihypertensive treatment, she noted, "so the association was not due to the medications that they may have been taking."

Omega 3 fatty acids lessen severity of osteoarthritis in mice - Science Daily, 7/11/14 - "The mice were fed one of three high-fat diets: one rich in saturated fat, one rich in omega 6 fatty acids, and one rich in omega 6 fatty acids but supplemented with a small amount of omega 3 fatty acids ... arthritis was significantly associated with the mice’s diets, but not with body weight. The mice that ate diets high in saturated fat or omega 6 fatty acids experienced significant worsening of their arthritis, while mice consuming a small supplement of omega 3 fatty acids had healthier joints ... While omega 3 fatty acids aren’t reversing the injury, they appear to slow the progression of arthritis in this group of mice,” Guilak said. “In fact, omega 3 fatty acids eliminated the detrimental effects of obesity in obese mice ... In mice consuming omega 3 fatty acids, a small ear punch typically used to differentiate mice healed much more quickly than it did in animals that did not receive the supplement" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.

On the link between periodontitis and atherosclerosis - Science Daily, 7/10/14 - "P. gingivalis modifies its lipid A structure in order to evade host defenses and establish chronic infection leading to persistent systemic low-grade inflammation ... uniquely among gram-negative pathogens, P. gingivalis evasion of TLR4-mediated host immunity results in progression of inflammation at a site that is distant from local infection by gaining access to the vasculature"

Drinking alcohol provides no heart health benefit, new study shows - Science Daily, 7/10/14 - "For some time, observational studies have suggested that only heavy drinking was detrimental to cardiovascular health, and that light consumption may actually be beneficial. This has led some people to drink moderately based on the belief that it would lower their risk of heart disease. However, what we're seeing with this new study, which uses an investigative approach similar to a randomized clinical trial, is that reduced consumption of alcohol, even for light-to-moderate drinkers, may lead to improved cardiovascular health"

Vasectomy may increase risk of aggressive prostate cancer - Science Daily, 7/11/14 - "The results showed a 10% increased risk of prostate cancer overall in men who had a vasectomy. Vasectomy was not significantly associated with risk of low-grade cancer. However, vasectomy was associated with a stronger risk of advanced and lethal prostate cancer, with an increased risk of 20% and 19% respectively. Among men who received regular PSA screening, the relative increase in risk of lethal prostate cancer was 56%. The effect appeared to be stronger among men who had a vasectomy at a younger age"

Cholesterol Levels May Be Linked to Breast Cancer Risk - WebMD, 7/7/14 - "The investigators determined that high cholesterol increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer by 64 percent ... Future research may clarify how lipid [blood fat] levels, as well as other factors linked to obesity, like hormone and insulin levels, influence risk of breast cancer"

8 Healthy Foods That Could Wreck Your Diet - ABC News, 7/7/14 - "Avocado ... Red wine ... Chocolate ... Nuts ... Trail mix ... Dried fruit ... Gluten-free packaged foods ... Smoothies"

Abstracts from this week:

Docosahexaenoic Acid and Periodontitis in Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial - J Dent Res. 2014 Jun 26 - "Fifty-five adults with moderate periodontitis were randomized to 2,000 mg of DHA or identical soy/corn oil capsules. All participants received 81 mg of aspirin but received no other treatments ... In this randomized controlled trial, aspirin-triggered DHA supplementation significantly improved periodontal outcomes in people with periodontitis, indicating its potential therapeutic efficacy" - [Nutra USA] - See docosahexaenoic acid at Amazon.com.

Vitamin D Promotes Vascular Regeneration - Circulation. 2014 Jul 11 - "VitD3 is a novel approach to promote vascular repair" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Tocotrienol Rich Fraction Reverses Age-Related Deficits in Spatial Learning and Memory in Aged Rats - Lipids. 2014 Jul 12 - "tocotrienol rich fraction (TRF) ... Aged rats supplemented with TRF showed a markedly reduced level of anxiety, improved spatial learning and memory, reduced amount and severity of DNA damage, a reduced level of MDA, and increased levels of antioxidant enzyme activity and plasma/brain vitamin E compared with age-matched controls. In conclusion, TRF supplementation reverses spatial learning and memory decline and decreases oxidative stress in aged rats" - See vitamin E products at Amazon.com.

Association between periodontal disease and its treatment, flow-mediated dilatation and carotid intima-media thickness: A systematic review and meta-analysis - Atherosclerosis. 2014 Jun 17;236(1):39-46 - "Meta-analysis demonstrated that the diagnosis of PD was associated with a mean increase in c-IMT of 0.08 mm (95% C.I. = 0.07-0.09) and a mean difference in FMD of 5.1% compared to controls (95% C.I. = 2.08-8.11%). A meta-analysis of the effects of periodontal treatment on FMD showed a mean improvement of 6.64% between test and control (95% C.I. = 2.83-10.44%)"

Vitamin C supplementation slightly improves physical activity levels and reduces cold incidence in men with marginal vitamin C status: a randomized controlled trial - Nutrients. 2014 Jul 9;6(7):2572-83 - "The early indications of vitamin C deficiency are unremarkable (fatigue, malaise, depression) and may manifest as a reduced desire to be physically active; moreover, hypovitaminosis C may be associated with increased cold duration and severity ... This study examined the impact of vitamin C on physical activity and respiratory tract infections during the peak of the cold season. Healthy non-smoking adult men (18-35 years; BMI < 34 kg/m2; plasma vitamin C < 45 µmol/L) received either 1000 mg of vitamin C daily (n = 15) or placebo (n = 13) in a randomized, double-blind, eight-week trial ... In the final two weeks of the trial, the physical activity score rose modestly for the vitamin C group vs. placebo after adjusting for baseline values: +39.6% (95% CI [-4.5,83.7]; p = 0.10). The number of participants reporting cold episodes was 7 and 11 for the vitamin C and placebo groups respectively during the eight-week trial (RR = 0.55; 95% CI [0.33,0.94]; p = 0.04) and cold duration was reduced 59% in the vitamin C versus placebo groups (-3.2 days; 95% CI [-7.0,0.6]; p = 0.06)" - See vitamin C products at Amazon.com.

Lutein and zeaxanthin status and auditory thresholds in a sample of young healthy adults - Nutr Neurosci. 2014 Jul 10 - "Dietary carotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) have been linked to improved visual and cognitive function ... The overall pattern of results is consistent with a role for L and Z in maintaining optimal auditory function" - See carotenoids at Amazon.com.

Effect of oral magnesium supplementation on physical performance in healthy elderly women involved in a weekly exercise program: a randomized controlled trial - Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Jul 9 - "139 healthy women (mean ± SD age: 71.5 ± 5.2 y) attending a mild fitness program were randomly allocated to a treatment group (300 mg Mg/d; n = 62) or a control group ... Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) ... After 12 wk, the treated group had a significantly better total SPPB score (Δ = 0.41 ± 0.24 points; P = 0.03), chair stand times (Δ = -1.31 ± 0.33 s; P < 0.0001), and 4-m walking speeds (Δ = 0.14 ± 0.03 m/s; P = 0.006) than did the control group. These findings were more evident in participants with a magnesium dietary intake lower than the Recommended Dietary Allowance" - See Magtein (my favorite) at Amazon.com.

A randomized clinical trial to determine the efficacy of manufacturers' recommended doses of omega-3 fatty acids from different sources in facilitating cardiovascular disease risk reduction - Lipids Health Dis. 2014 Jun 21;13:99 - "This was an open-label, randomized, cross-over study involving thirty-five healthy subjects. Supplements and daily doses (as recommended on product labels) were: Concentrated Triglyceride (rTG) fish oil: EPA of 650 mg, DHA of 450 mg Ethyl Ester (EE) fish oil: EPA of 756 mg, DHA of 228 mgPhospholipid (PL) krill oil: EPA of 150 mg, DHA of 90 mg Triglyceride (TG) salmon oil: EPA of 180 mg, DHA of 220 mg ... At the prescribed dosage, the statistical ranking of the four products in terms of increase in whole blood omega-3 fatty acid levels was concentrated rTG fish oil > EE fish oil > triglyceride TG salmon oil > PL krill oil. Whole blood EPA percentage increase in subjects consuming concentrated rTG fish oil was more than four times that of krill and salmon oil. Risk reduction in several elements of cardiovascular disease was achieved to a greater extent by the concentrated rTG fish oil than by any other supplement. Krill oil and (unconcentrated) triglyceride oil were relatively unsuccessful in this aspect of the study" - [Lipids World Abstract] - Note:  According to the NutraUSA article, the Concentrated Triglyceride (rTG) fish oil: EPA of 650 mg, DHA of 450 mg was Nordic Naturals - ProOmega.  See Nordic Naturals - ProOmega at Amazon.com.

Plasma Vitamin D Concentration Influences Survival Outcome After a Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer - J Clin Oncol. 2014 Jul 7 - "We found strong associations between plasma 25-OHD concentration and CRC-specific (P = .008) and all-cause mortality (P = .003). Adjusted HRs were 0.68 (95% CI, 0.50 to 0.90) and 0.70 (95% CI, 0.55 to 0.89), respectively (highest v lowest 25-OHD tertile), particularly in stage II disease (HR, 0.44; P = .004 for CRC-specific mortality). We detected gene-environment interactions between 25-OHD concentration and rs11568820 genotype for CRC-specific (P = .008) and all-cause (P = .022) mortality, number of protective alleles (P = .004 and P = .018, respectively), and GAGC haplotype at the VDR locus for all-cause mortality" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Yogurt consumption, weight change and risk of overweight/obesity: The SUN cohort study - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2014 Jun 15 - "Participants were classified in 5 categories of yogurt consumption at baseline: 0-2, >2-<5, 5-<7, 7 and ≥7 servings/week. Outcomes were: 1) average yearly weight change during follow-up; and 2) incidence of overweight/obesity. Linear regression models and Cox models were used to adjust for potential confounders. After a median follow-up of 6.6 years, 1860 incident cases of overweight/obesity were identified. A high (>7 servings/week) consumption of total and whole-fat yogurt was associated with lower incidence of overweight/obesity [multivariable adjusted hazard ratios = 0.80 (95% CI: 0.68-0.94); and 0.62 (0.47-0.82) respectively] in comparison with low consumption (0-2 servings/week). This inverse association was stronger among participants with higher fruit consumption" - See my yogurt recipe at the top of my yogurt page.

Hemoglobin a1c in nondiabetic patients: an independent predictor of coronary artery disease and its severity - Mayo Clin Proc. 2014 Jul;89(7):908-16 - "compared with patients with HbA1c levels less than 5.5%, the odds ratios of occurrence of CAD in the HbA1c quartiles of 5.5% to 5.7%, 5.8% to 6.1%, and greater than 6.1% were 1.8 (95% CI, 1.2-2.7), 3.5 (95% CI, 2.3-5.3), and 4.9 (95% CI, 3.0-8.1), respectively" - See metformin at The Antiaging Store.

Risk of Myocardial Infarction in Older Men Receiving Testosterone Therapy - Ann Pharmacother. 2014 Jul 2 - "Older men who were treated with intramuscular testosterone did not appear to have an increased risk of MI. For men with high MI risk, testosterone use was modestly protective against MI"

Life-long endurance running is associated with reduced glycation and mechanical stress in connective tissue - Age (Dordr). 2014 Aug;36(4):9665 - "Life-long regular endurance runners (master athletes) had a 21 % lower AGE cross-link density compared to old untrained. Furthermore, both master athletes and young athletes displayed a thicker patellar tendon. These cross-sectional data suggest that life-long regular endurance running can partly counteract the aging process in connective tissue by reducing age-related accumulation of AGEs. This may not only benefit skin and tendon but also other long-lived protein tissues in the body. Furthermore, it appears that endurance running yields tendon tissue hypertrophy that may serve to lower the stress on the tendon and thereby reduce the risk of injury" - 21% of 60 years would equate to 12.6 years.

The protective effect of lycopene intake on bone loss in ovariectomized rats - J Bone Miner Metab. 2014 Jul 5 - "Our findings suggest that lycopene intake significantly inhibits bone loss by suppressing bone resorption in ovariectomized rats" - See Jarrow Lyco-Sorb (contains Lyco-O-Mato) at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (Cataracts):

Related Topics:

• eye care / glaucoma / macular degeneration

Popular Supplements:

• vitamin C / vitamin E / selenium / glutathione / bioflavonoids / carotenoids / zinc / alpha lipoic acid

Alternative News:

• Grape seed extract and zinc containing nutritional food supplement prevents onset and progression of age-related cataract in wistar rats - J Nutr Health Aging. 2014;18(5):524-30 - "In the group treated with combined formulation of grape seed extract and Zincovit tablets, the formation of cataract was significantly prevented. In the normal and selenite induced senile cataract control group, the levels of lens oxidative stress markers, G6PD and ATP were substantially lower than in the grape seed extract with Zincovit tablets treated group" - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com and Health Aid Zincovit - C (Zinc, Vit C & Propolis) - Blister Pack 60 Tablets.
• The effect of multivitamin/mineral supplements on age-related cataracts: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Nutrients. 2014 Feb 28;6(3):931-49 - "we searched multiple databases to identify relevant studies including both cohort studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) ... Pooled results from the cohort studies indicated that multivitamin/mineral supplements have a significant beneficial effect in decreasing the risk of nuclear cataracts (RR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.64-0.82), cortical cataracts (RR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.68-0.94), and any cataracts (RR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.39-0.93)" - See Garden of Life, Vitamin Code, 50 & Wiser Men at Amazon.com and Garden of Life, Vitamin Code, 50 & Wiser Women at Amazon.com.
• Long-term daily multivitamin supplement use decreases cataract risk in men, study finds - Science Daily, 2/20/14 - "researchers based at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School -- as part of the Physicians' Health Study II (PHS II) -- conducted a randomized, double-blind study from 1997 to 2011 of 14,641 U.S. male doctors age 50 and older. Half took a common daily multivitamin, as well as vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene supplement ... The researchers found that in the placebo group 945 cases of cataract developed, which were self-reported and confirmed by medical records, while only 872 cases of cataract developed in the multivitamin group, representing a 9 percent decrease in risk"
• Association between Lutein and Zeaxanthin Status and the Risk of Cataract: A Meta-Analysis - Nutrients. 2014 Jan 22;6(1):452-65 - "MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI and Cochrane Library were searched to identify relevant studies up to April 2013 ... There were significant inverse associations between nuclear cataract and blood lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations, with the pooled RRs ranging from 0.63 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49, 0.77) for zeaxanthin to 0.73 (95% CI: 0.59, 0.87) for lutein" - See carotenoids at Amazon.com.
• Daily Multivitamin May Lower Risk for Cataracts - Medscape, 12/2/13 - "The eye disease component of PHS II involved 11,497 male physicians randomly assigned to take a daily multivitamin (Centrum Silver, Pfizer) (n = 5736) or placebo (n = 5761) in the cataract part of the study, and 14,233 men randomly assigned to a multivitamin (n = 7111) or placebo (n = 7122) in the AMD part of the study. Study participants reported no cataract or AMD incidence at baseline ... The researchers found a 9% lower risk for cataract among participants in the multivitamin group compared with the placebo" - Note:  My opinion is that Centrum is one of those supplement designed by an accountant.  Examples, the dl-Alpha form of vitamin E, the least absorbable for of copper, etc.
• Preventative Effects of Ginkgo biloba Extract (EGb761) on High Glucose-Cultured Opacity of Rat Lens - Phytother Res. 2013 Sep - "Diabetic cataract is one of the earliest secondary complications of diabetes ... we examined the protective effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb761) on rat lenses cultured in high-glucose conditions ... The cultured rat lenses were divided into six groups: normal group, high-glucose group, high glucose plus low, medium, and high concentrations of EGb761 groups, and a high glucose plus bendazac lysine group ... Compared with the levels in the high glucose group, EGb761 decreased the intensity of oxidative stress, decreased aldose reductase activation and the level of advanced glycosylation end products, and suppress the transforming growth factor-β2 or Smad pathway activation, further increase the expression of E-cadherin and decrease α-smooth muscle actin, and therefore, prevents the pathological changes of high glucose-induced lens epithelial cells and ameliorated lens opacity. These results suggest that EGb761 has protective effects on several pharmacological targets in the progress of diabetic cataract and is a potential drug for the prevention of diabetic cataract" - See Ginkgo biloba at Amazon.com.
• Association of blood antioxidants and vitamins with risk of age-related cataract: a meta-analysis of observational studies - Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jul 10 - "searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Web of Science for relevant studies ... A pooled estimate showed vitamin E (OR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.96), α-carotene (OR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.88), lutein (OR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.65, 0.87), and zeaxanthin (OR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.82) were inversely associated with age-related cataract. Vitamins A (OR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.83) and C (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.57, 0.78) were inversely associated with age-related cataract in Asian populations but not in Western populations. β-Carotene (OR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.78, 1.05), lycopene (OR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.65, 1.15), and β-cryptoxanthin (OR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.68, 1.02) had no significant association with risk of cataract" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL at Amazon.com and Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.
• Nutrients Promote Eye Health in Aging, Says Panel - Medscape, 4/17/12 - "They pointed out that many multivitamin supplements do not contain nutrients important for eye health, including lutein, zeaxanthin, and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. "Taking a supplement specifically designed for eye health that contains these key nutrients, in addition to a general nutritional supplement, may therefore be a better approach to filling dietary shortfalls,""
• Plasma lutein and zeaxanthin and the risk of age-related nuclear cataract among the elderly Finnish population - Br J Nutr. 2011 Oct 18:1-7 - "After adjustment for age, examination year, sex, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, serum LDL-cholesterol, serum HDL-cholesterol, years of education, use of oral corticosteroids, history of diabetes and history of hypertension with current use of antihypertensive medication, subjects in the highest tertiles of plasma concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin had 42 and 41 % lower risks of nuclear cataract, respectively, compared with those in the lowest tertiles (relative risk (RR) = 0.58, 95 % CI 0.35, 0.98; P = 0.041 for lutein and RR = 0.59, 95 % CI 0.35, 0.99; P = 0.046 for zeaxanthin)" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL at Amazon.com.
• Diet, vegetarianism, and cataract risk - Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Mar 23 - "There was a strong relation between cataract risk and diet group, with a progressive decrease in risk of cataract in high meat eaters to low meat eaters, fish eaters (participants who ate fish but not meat), vegetarians, and vegans. After multivariable adjustment, incidence rate ratios (95% CIs) for moderate meat eaters (50-99 g meat/d), low meat eaters (<50 g meat/d), fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans compared with high-meat eaters (≥100 g meat/d) were 0.96 (0.84, 1.11), 0.85 (0.72, 0.99), 0.79 (0.65, 0.97), 0.70 (0.58, 0.84), and 0.60 (0.38, 0.96), respectively (P < 0.001 for heterogeneity). Associations between cataract risk and intakes of selected nutrients and foods generally reflected the strong association with diet group"
• New Evidence That Popular Dietary Supplement May Help Prevent, Treat Cataracts - Science Daily, 7/15/09 - "The scientists exposed tissue cultures of healthy rat lenses to either guanidine — a substance known to form cataracts — or a combination of guanidine and carnosine. The guanidine lenses became completely cloudy, while the guanidine/carnosine lenses developed 50 to 60 percent less cloudiness. Carnosine also restored most of the clarity to clouded lenses. The results demonstrate the potential of using carnosine for preventing and treating cataracts, the scientists say" - See l-carnosine products at iHerb.
• Eye Drops for Cataracts? - Dr. Weil, 6/26/09
• Vision: Antioxidants May Cut Cataracts - New York Times, 2/12/08 - "Compared with the one-fifth of women who consumed the least antioxidants, the one-fifth who consumed the most reduced their risk for cataracts by 14 percent with vitamin E and 18 percent with lutein"
• Dietary carotenoids, vitamins C and e, and risk of cataract in women: a prospective study - Arch Ophthalmol. 2008 Jan;126(1):102-9 - "In these prospective observational data from a large cohort of female health professionals, higher dietary intakes of lutein/zeaxanthin and vitamin E from food and supplements were associated with significantly decreased risks of cataract"
• Eat Your Leafy Vegetables To Decreased Your Risk Of Cataracts - Science Daily, 1/14/08 - "When the participants were split into five groups based on the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin they consumed, those in the group who consumed the most (about 6,716 micrograms per day) had an 18 percent lower chance of developing cataracts than those who consumed the least (1,177 micrograms per day). The one-fifth who consumed the most vitamin E from food and supplements--about 262.4 milligrams per day--were 14 percent less likely than the one-fifth who got the least (4.4 milligrams per day)"
• Diets With High Glycemic Index May Raise Cataract Risk - Medscape, 11/30/07 - "Glycemic load, a food's glycemic index multiplied by the total available carbohydrate content, was used to gauge both carbohydrate quantity and quality ... each standard deviation increase in dietary glycemic index was associated with a 19% increase in the risk of cortical cataract. Subjects in the highest glycemic index quartile were 77% more likely to develop cataract than those in the lowest quartile"
• Carbohydrate nutrition, glycemic index, and the 10-y incidence of cataract - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1502-8 - "poorer dietary carbohydrate quality, reflected by high GI, predicted incident cortical cataract"
• Nutritional Strategies for Preventing Age-Related Vision Loss - Life Extension Magazine, 5/06
• Study: Fruits, Veggies May Help Avoid Cataracts - WebMD, 6/17/05 - "Over 10 years, the group had a total of 2,067 cataract cases. The women who ate the most fruits and vegetables were 10% to 15% less likely to be in that group"
• Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cataract in women - Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jun;81(6):1417-1422 - "Compared with women in the lowest quintile of fruit and vegetable intake, women with higher intakes had modest 10-15% reduced risks of cataract"
• Moderate Red Wine Drinking Reduces Risk for Cataract - Medscape, 5/5/05 - "Five-year incidence of cataract was 22% in drinkers and 32.2% in nondrinkers. Based on alcohol consumption, cataracts occurred in 23% of beer drinkers, 19% of spirit drinkers, and 13% of wine drinkers"
• Tea May Help Prevent Diabetes And Cataracts - Science Daily, 4/19/05 - "At levels that would be equivalent to less than five cups of tea per day for a human, both teas significantly inhibited cataract formation relative to a control group which did not get tea, they say. The researchers found that both teas decreased glucose levels, which in turn affects other biochemical pathways that accelerate diabetic complications such as cataracts" - See iHerb or Vitacost green tea products.  My favorite is Jarrow Green Tea at Amazon.com.
• Eat Spinach, Prevent Cataracts? - WebMD, 12/3/04 - "Our results are the first to provide physical evidence suggesting that lutein and zeaxanthin decrease damage caused by ultraviolet radiation"
• Lutein for Cataract Sufferers - New Hope Natural Media, 3/13/03 - "15 individuals with age-related cataracts were randomly assigned to receive either 15 mg of lutein, 100 IU of vitamin E, or a placebo three times per week for up to two years. Visual acuity improved significantly in the lutein group, whereas no change was seen in the vitamin E and placebo groups"
• Oxidative Stress Linked to Cataract Formation in Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 1/16/03 - "Whole blood glutathione levels and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activities were lower, while plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were higher in patients with cataracts compared to controls ... The authors suggest that their findings underscore the vital role of glutathione as a lens antioxidant" - Related Article:
  • Getting More Glutathione? - Dr. Weil, 8/29/02 - "To my knowledge, the only supplement that effectively raises glutathione levels in the body is N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). My colleague Kathleen Johnson, a dietician here at the Program in Integrative Medicine, tells me that other glutathione supplements are ineffective because they’re digested before they can get into the bloodstream" - See iHerb or Vitacost NAC products.
• Vitamin C Reduces The Odds Of Developing Early-Onset Cataract - Doctor's Guide, 2/22/02 - "A significant interaction was observed between age, vitamin C intake, and the prevalence of cataracts. For women younger than 60 years, the consumption of vitamin C >/= 362 mg/day was associated with a 57 percent lower risk of developing cortical opacities, and the use of vitamin C supplements for at least 10 years was associated with a 60 percent reduction in the risk of cataracts, when compared to no supplement use ... the incidence of posterior subcapsulary cataracts was considerably lower in women who had never smoked and who had high intakes of folate and carotenoids"
• What constitutes a glycation-reduced diet? - Life Extension Magazine, 11/01 - "Glycation of proteins has been shown to play a prominent role in the development of many diseases related to diabetes, atherosclerosis and cataract formation. Glycation also occurs as a result of general aging. A glycation reduction diet would be one that is low in simple sugars and carbohydrates. There are also certain supplements that help reduce glycation, such as carnosine. Carnosine is the most effective natural anti-glycating agent ... Other supplements include alpha lipoic acid, chromium picolinate and calcium pyruvate ... Taking antioxidants can help [with cataracts]. These supplements include melatonin, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), vitamin C and bioflavonoids"
• Vitamins and Vision, Lots of "C" May Help You See Later in Life- WebMD, 12/11/00 - "Risk of cataracts was 60% lower among people who took multivitamins or any supplement containing vitamin C or E for more than 10 years."
• Long-Term Vitamin C Use Cuts Cataract Risk In Older Women - Doctor's Guide, 10/9/97 - "taking vitamin C supplements for more than 10 years lowers the risk of lens opacities that can lead to cataract surgery in older women"

Other News:

• Statins Tied to Cataract Risk - NYTimes.com, 9/25/13 - "scientists retrospectively examined 13,626 statin users and 32,623 nonusers, ages 30 to 85, who were part of a military health care system. The average length of statin use was about two years ... compared with nonusers, those who took statins had a 9 to 27 percent increased risk for cataracts"
• Statins Prevent Cataracts, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 8/31/13 - "Statins lower the rate of cataract by 20 percent ... The risk of cataract was reduced by 50 percent when treatment was initiated in younger individuals (in their 40s) and the duration of therapy was longer (e.g. up to 14 years) ... The meta-analysis included 2,399,200 persons and 25,618 cataracts. The average duration of treatment was 54 months and average age was 61"
• Anti-depressants bring higher risk of developing cataracts - Science Daily, 3/8/10 - "patients taking SSRIs were overall 15 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cataracts or to have cataract surgery"
• Common cholesterol drugs, statins, fight cataracts, too - Science Daily, 2/9/10
• Flomax Linked to Cataract Surgery Risks - WebMD, 5/19/09
• Advanced glycation end products in senile diabetic and nondiabetic patients with cataract - J Diabetes Complications. 2008 May 26 - "The AGE distribution in the senile groups corroborates the hypothesis that the advanced glycation process might have a role in cataract formation, which in diabetic patients occurs vigorously as compared with nondiabetic cataract patients"
• Medical Nanoimaging Pinpoints Cause Of Cataracts - Science Daily, 10/20/07
• Cholesterol Drugs May Avert Cataracts - WebMD, 6/20/06 - "Those who took Zocor had a 72% lower risk of nuclear cataracts. Those who took Lipitor had a 27% lower risk. Those who took Pravachol, Lescol, and Mevacor had a combined 33% lower risk"
• No Association Between Cataracts and Macular Degeneration Seen in Large Study - Doctor's Guide, 5/5/06
• Excess Body Fat May Elevate Risk for Age-Related Eye Diseases - Doctor's Guide, 9/14/05 - "excess body fat may elevate one's risk for age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts ... if the body has too much adipose tissue, too much lutein and zeaxanthin remain there in storage and do not get to the eye where they are needed"
• Hormone Replacement Therapy Reduces Risk of Cataracts in Post-Menopausal Women - Doctor's Guide, 6/11/03 - "Women who do not use hormone replacement therapy are twice as likely to develop lens opacities, and cataracts compared with women who do use HRT/oestrogen"
• Day Surgery for Cataracts has Risk of Minor Morbidity, Regardless of Anesthesia Used - Doctor's Guide, 9/20/01
• Estrogen After Menopause Improves Eye Health - WebMD, 6/13/01 - "Forget hot flashes -- the real reason to take hormone replacement therapy after menopause is because of the multitude of benefits on health. The latest research demonstrates that it may even save your vision"