Grape Consumption Improves Eye Health in Older Adults

Highlights:

A recent human study found that consuming grapes for 16 weeks significantly improved macular pigment buildup and other biomarkers of eye health in older individuals
Older people are more susceptible to vision issues, often associated with oxidative stress and high levels of ocular advanced glycation end products (AGEs)
Grapes, rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, showed promise in enhancing eye health, with as little as 1 ½ cups a day making a difference

Grape consumption for 16 weeks enhanced important markers of eye health in older persons in a recent randomized, controlled human research. The study, which was published in the scientific journal Food & Function, investigated the effect of regular grape consumption on macular pigment buildup and other biomarkers of eye health (). It is the first human study on the subject, and the findings support previous preclinical investigations in which grape consumption was found to protect retinal structure and function ().

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Common Vision Issues Among the Older People

According to research, an older population is more likely to develop eye illness and vision issues. The most common risk factors are:

Oxidative stress
High levels of ocular advanced glycation end products (AGEs)

AGEs may contribute to a variety of eye diseases by destroying the retina's vascular components, affecting cellular function, and creating oxidative stress.

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Dietary antioxidants can reduce oxidative stress and limit the development of AGEs, perhaps benefiting the retina by improving Macular Pigment Optical Density (MPOD). Grapes are high in antioxidants and other polyphenols.

For 16 weeks, 34 human volunteers were given either grapes (equal to 12 cups of grapes per day) or a placebo. When compared to the placebo group, grape eaters had a substantial increase in MPOD, plasma antioxidant capacity, and total phenolic content. Those who did not consume grapes had much higher levels of dangerous AGEs in their skin.

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Grapes Impact Eye Health

“Our study is the first to show that grape consumption beneficially impacts eye health in humans which is very exciting, especially with a growing aging population,” said Dr. Jung Eun Kim. “Grapes are an easy, accessible fruit that studies have shown can have a beneficial impact in normal amounts of just 1 ½ cups per day.”

References:

Impacts of regular consumption of grapes on macular pigment accumulation in Singapore older adults: a randomized controlled trial - (https://www.x-mol.net/paper/article/1689800196676669440)
Protective effects of a grape-supplemented diet in a mouse model of retinal degeneration - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26732835/)

Source-Medindia

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