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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #292423
Title: Nutritional modulation of cataract

Author
item WEIKEL, KAREN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item GARBER, CAREN - Tufts University
item BABURINS, ALYSSA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item TAYLOR, ALLEN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: Nutrition Reviews
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/26/2013
Publication Date: 1/1/2014
Citation: Weikel, K.A., Garber, C., Baburins, A., Taylor, A. 2014. Nutritional modulation of cataract. Nutrition Reviews. 72(1):30-47.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Cataract, or lens opacification, remains a major cause of blindness worldwide. Cataracts reduce vision in over eighty million people, causing blindness in eighteen million people. The number afflicted by cataract will increase dramatically as the proportion of the elderly global population increases. Preventative measures for cataract are essential due to the limited availability of cataract surgery in much of the world. Epidemiologic literature suggests that risk for cataract onset or progress can be diminished by diets that are optimized for vitamin C, lutein and zeaxanthin, B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamin combinations, or/and carbohydrates. Data from intervention clinical trials provide limited support for the observational record, but these trials are few in number. Therefore, it is important to extract as much information as possible form the observational epidemiologic record. Here we review thoroughly and in an unbiased fashion data that has appeared since our last review in 2007. To make this review “user friendly” we present the ranges of levels of nutrients assessed and the total number of participants surveyed.