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CATARACT RISK INCREASES AFTER MENOPAUSEDecreasing levels of estrogen and declining ability to handle eye stress may explain why aging women have a higher incidence of cataracts then men, British researchers report.Before age fifty, women appear to be less susceptible to the eye disease but after age fifty, the trend reverses sharply, a team of eye experts lead by George Joncom, M.D. of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, reported in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, 1997; 81: 818-823. They suggested that estrogen protects the lens from the effect of a specific growth factor transforming growth factor better found in the eye that has been shown to promote the development of cataracts in rodents. But as women enter menopause, and estrogen levels taper off, the protective effects of the hormone are lost, the investigators said. In addition, the male lens is heavier then the female lens, and may be better able to cope with external stress. While the ability of both the male and female lens to cope with eye stress decreases with age, the rate of decline is much steeper in women. Aging women who use hormone replacement therapy, however, may be able to avoid this according to the British researchers. Vitamin C Supplementation May Lower Cataract Risk Long-term use of Vitamin C supplementation may substantially reduce age related lens opacity, thereby delaying the onset of cataracts, Boston investigators report. Because oxidation of lens proteins may play a roll in age related cataracts, Vitamin C may be acting as an antioxidant to protect the lens and proteins within the lens from damage, according to the Paul F. Jacques, Sc.D., an associate professor of nutrition at the Jean Mayers U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Taft University in Boston. The women in this study consumed an average of more than 500mg a day of Vitamin C. That is probably more than needed to saturate the eye tissue. Further studies are needed to determine how Vitamin C may work in the delaying the onset of cataracts. *' American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1997, 66: 911-916 --> return to menu / back ... (click) --> return to top of the page (click) |
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