HEALTH : CORN AND EGGS HELP ELDERLY SEE MORE CLEARLY London, Reuters Elderly people should eat more corn, eggs, orange peppers, red grapes and pumpkins to maintain their eyesight and stave off the effects of ageing, doctors advised yesterday. The foods are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, chemical components called antioxidant carotenoids, that can help to prevent macular degeneration – the leading cause of blindness in people over 50 years old. Antioxidant carotenoids protect eye tissue in the macula, part of the retina at the back of the eye, from damage by oxygen atoms called free radicals that harm cells. The only source of carotenoids for humans is food. Doctors had already recommended leafy green vegetables as a preventive measure against macular degeneration but a new international study by American, German, Dutch and British researchers, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, found coloured vegetables and fruits are also beneficial.

 

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