Watermelon Helps Fight Heart Disease, Diabetes, and Eye Disease

watermelon
Image via USDA.gov

File this heart healthy fact away for next summer’s barbecue season: watermelon can help fight hypertension.

Florida State University gave nine prehypertensive study participants the amino acid L-citrulline/L-arginine from watermelon extract for six weeks and all of them exhibited improved arterial function and lower aortic blood pressure.

Watermelon is also a source of vitamins A, B6, C, fiber, potassium and the antioxidant lycopene.  Antioxidants are vital to eye health and help to fight the free radical oxidation damage that causes eye diseases like macular degeneration.

Study author Arturo Figueroa highlights another condition that could benefit from daily watermelon intake: diabetes.  “Individuals with increased blood pressure and arterial stiffness especially those who are older and those with chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes would benefit from L-citrulline in either the synthetic or natural (watermelon) form,” he said. “The optimal dose appears to be four to six grams a day.”

Diabetes can lead to the eye condition diabetic retinopathy.

Learn more about nutrients in food that can treat and prevent disease.

Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/204527.php

Can Lycopene in Watermelon Prevent Macular Degeneration? (AMD)

watermellon for eye healthWatermelon is a great summer fruit, but it also has some powerful health benefits that you may not know about. The key nutrient in this tasty melon is lycopene, a carotenoid found in red fruits and vegetables, which is essential for eye health. Research has shown that a deficiency in lycopene is associated with macular degeneration. As such, it is important to maintain a diet rich in lycopene and other nutrients essential to preventing disease.

You’ve probably seen lycopene touted on bottles of tomato ketchup. It’s true that tomatoes are one source of lycopene, but ketchup Continue reading “Can Lycopene in Watermelon Prevent Macular Degeneration? (AMD)”

Wet AMD is Choroidal Neovascularization (CNV) – The Unwanted Blood Vessels

wet amd vision lossIn the case of choroidal neovascularization (CNV, also known as “wet” macular degeneration), new blood vessels are the cause of the problem. Yet normally when new blood vessels are created in the body, it is a good sign. For example, it is part of the way the body heals wounds. But with CNV, the blood vessels pose a problem because they originate in the choroid layer of the eye and pass through a weak part of the Bruch’s membrane, the innermost layer of choroid, then pass into the subretinal pigment epithelium (sub-RPE) or subretinal space. These blood vessels aren’t supposed to exist in this part of the eye, are weak and tend to leak, potentially substantially impairing vision.

Oxygen and nutrients are provided to the eye by the choroid. The choroid Continue reading “Wet AMD is Choroidal Neovascularization (CNV) – The Unwanted Blood Vessels”

Too Much “High-Energy Visible Light” Screen Time May Cause Macular Degeneration

eye damage from tabletExcessive time spent in front of a computer, smartphone, or tablet screen can increase risk of macular degeneration, especially in young people.

The AOA’s survey focused on how much time parents thought their children spent on handheld devices. Their responses easily underestimated those of the children, aged 10 to 17, who reported (83%) that they use a handheld device for at least three hours a day, with 32 percent looking at a screen for more than an hour without glancing Continue reading “Too Much “High-Energy Visible Light” Screen Time May Cause Macular Degeneration”

New Book: Stem Cells Heal Your Eyes – Macular Degeneration and More

stem cells book coverHow can you prevent and reverse serious eye disease using stem cells? A new book by Damon P Miller II MD, Carlyle Coash MA, and Adam Miller examines the potential for stem cells to address macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt’s disease and other retinopathies. This up-and-coming area of medicine looks at research in Epigenetics and adult stem cells, and how they could help eye functioning. Learn more and buy the paperback or Kindle edition of Stem Cells Heal Your Eyes: Prevent and Help: Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Stargardt, Retinal Distrophy, and Retinopathy on Amazon.com.

New Study on Squalamine Eye Drops for Wet Macular Degeneration

eye-drop-amd-2A new clinical trial showed positive results for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The study, which monitored the use and performance of Squalamine eye drops, showed improvement in a number of visual functions.

Conducted by Ohr Pharmaceutical, the nine-month research was a Phase II clinical trial that tested for the effectiveness of Squalamine eye drops in improving visual function. All patients had administered eye drops two times per day, either Squalamine or a placebo, plus injections of Continue reading “New Study on Squalamine Eye Drops for Wet Macular Degeneration”

Notable People Who Have Vision Conditions

Even VIPs have eye conditions.  Here’s an interesting collection of ten notables who have serious vision conditions, and who have made a success of their lives nonetheless!

optic neuritis exam1. Steve Wynn: Las Vegas casino developer and the owner of such resorts as the Wynn Las Vegas, Wynn Macau, Bellagio, The Mirage, et cetera. Wynn has developed retinitis pigmentosa which includes progressive degeneration of the photoreceptor cells of the retina. Such degeneration results in poor night vision, light to dark adaption and impaired peripheral vision. Mr. Wynn recently partnered with the University of Iowa to establish the Stephen A. Wynn Institute for Vision Research. He donated $25 million to help the university find a cure for blinding eye diseases.

2. Jon Wellner: American actor with the recurring role as toxicologist Henry Andrews in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Wellner also has retinitis pigmentosa which has not yet impacted his work. He does however wear glasses. Not only does he continue to act but he also owns his own research company that does research for CSI: Miami, Bones, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and others. Continue reading “Notable People Who Have Vision Conditions”

Smokers’ Life: How Smoking Changes Your Life (Infographic)

From before birth to the end of your life, smoking has a radical, nasty effect on your life: not only your health, but your social and mental life as well.  It impacts every aspect of your life – your vision, your health, your happiness – from the time in the womb until your old age.

Vision & Smoking

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CoQ10 May Aid Age-Related Macular Degeneration – AMD

ageing adultCoQ10 is a nutrient essential to energy production in the heart. It also has the ability to improve mitochondria metabolism. Issues with mitochondria function may play a role in AMD onset. A study on this was published in Ophthalmologica in 2005.

The researchers of the study designed a trial with compounds shown to improve mitochondria function. This included CoQ10, omega-3 fatty acids, and Continue reading “CoQ10 May Aid Age-Related Macular Degeneration – AMD”

New MDM2 Inhibitor Drugs Show Promise Treating Macular Degeneration

MDM2 drug injectionSai Chavala, MD, assistant professor of Ophthalmology and Cell Biology and director of the Laboratory for Retinal Rehabilitation at the University of North Carolina, says a class of drugs known as MDM2 inhibitors, has been successful in tests on mice for both wet and dry macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration is a major cause of vision loss, with millions worldwide affected. The part of the eye that gives us sharp, clear vision Continue reading “New MDM2 Inhibitor Drugs Show Promise Treating Macular Degeneration”