Natural Eye Care Blog: News & Research on Vision

Low level of antioxidants with exposure to blue light increases risk of macular degeneration, study suggests.

Some cases of age-related macular degeneration may arise from a combination of low plasma levels of antioxidants and exposure to blue light from the sun, a multinational European study suggested.

By itself, blue-light exposure had no associations with neovascular or early-stage age-related macular degeneration. However, analysis of blue-light exposure by antioxidant quartile revealed consistent and significant association with neovascular age-related macular degeneration among those in the lowest quartile of vitamin C, vitamin E, zeaxanthin, and dietary zinc (odds ratio of about 1.4 per standard unit deviation increase in blue-light exposure).

Source reference:
Fletcher AE, et al “Sunlight exposure, antioxidants, and age-related macular degeneration” Arch Ophthalmol 2008; 126: 1396-1403.

For more information in macular degeneration and nutrition, Click Here

Breast Cancer Researchers Focus on Stem Cells

Cancer drugs and radiation target and kill fast-growing cancer cells. But a small number of noncancer cells in the tumor often survive. These, researchers believe, are “mother” cells — stem cells that shrug off treatment and survive to manufacture more cancer cells.

“Cancer stem cells are present, we believe, in all cancers,” said Dr. Jenny Chang, medical director of the breast center at Baylor College of Medicine. “So that 1 to 5 percent of the cancer contains cancer stem cells. And while chemotherapy kills 99 to 95 percent of the tumor, what’s left behind is the 5 percent of cancer stem cells. Those will then regrow and regenerate.”

Chang spoke at a press briefing on experimental new cancer drugs Friday at the 32nd annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium , which continues through Sunday.

Cherry Juice Relieves Muscle Pain

Runners who drank pure tart cherry juice immediately after a long run reported 23% less pain than those who drank a placebo cherry drink.

In a study of sixty healthy adults ages 18 to 50, those who drank 10.5 ounces cherry juice twice a day for seven days prior to and on the day of a long-distance relay had significantly less muscle pain following the race than those who drank another fruit juice beverage.

On a scale from 0 to 10, the runners who drank cherry juice had a 2 point lower self-reported pain level at the completion of the race, a clinically significant difference.

Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University suggest that cherries’ post-exercise benefits are likely due to the fruit’s natural anti-inflammation power from antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins. These anthocyanins also give cherries their bright red color.

The natural anti-inflammation power of cherry juice could benefit the millions of active Americans currently taking over-the-counter pain medications to reduce muscle pain. Study authors say that although more research is needed, early finding indicate cherries may work like common medications used by runners to alleviate post-exercise inflammation.

SOURCE: Kuehl, et al, Oregon Health & Science University, presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference, May 2009.

Exposure to Light at Night Linked to Breast Cancer

Women who live in neighborhoods with large amounts of nighttime light are more likely to get breast cancer than those who live in areas where the nights are darker. This reinforces previous studies that exposure to too much light at night can raise the risk of breast cancer by interfering with the brain’s production of melatonin, a tumor-suppressing hormone.

A study published in the journal Chronobiology International overlaid satellite images of Earth onto a map with local statistics of breast cancer and, for comparison, lung cancer, which is caused mostly by smoking and would not be expected to be linked to light.

After adjusting for variables such as ethnic makeup, birth rate, population density and local income, researchers found that breast cancer rate in localities with average night lighting to be 37% higher than in communities with the lowest amount of light. The rate was higher by an additional 27% in areas with the highest amount of light.

Research has shown that rats raised in cages where lights are left on at night have higher cancer rates than those allowed to sleep in darkness. Epidemiological studies of nurses, flight attendants and others who work at night have found breast cancer rates 60% above normal, even when other factors such as differences in diet are accounted for. On the basis of such studies, an arm of the World Health Organization announced its decision to classify shift work as a “probable carcinogen.”

SOURCE: Lights at Night Are Linked to Breast Cancer http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/19/AR2008021902398.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Soy peptide lunasin has anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory properties

Two new University of Illinois studies report that lunasin, a soy
peptide often discarded in the waste streams of soy-processing
plants, may have important health benefits that include fighting
leukemia and blocking the inflammation that accompanies such
chronic health conditions as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, heart
disease, and stroke.

In another study, the first to report lunasin’s potential
anti-inflammatory activity, they showed that lunasin blocked or
reduced the activation of an important marker called NF-kappa-B,
a link in the chain of biochemical events that cause inflammation.

Lunasin’s bioavailability in the human body was confirmed by doing a
third study in which men consumed 50 grams of soy protein–one soy
milk shake and a serving of soy chili daily–for five days.

Editor’s Note1: Note that soy flour does contain high concentrations of the peptide.
Editor’s Note2: Chronic systemic inflammation can cause or contribute to many eye conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, macula edema, optic neuritis, uveitis and iritis for example. Chronic inflammation is now considered a major contributor to heart disease as well.

For more information on ways to help manage inflammation nutritionally, Click Here

The Deadly Connection Between Diabetes and Alzheimer’s

For example, a 2004 Study found that high insulin levels, which are intimately connected to type II diabetes, were significantly correlated with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Luchsinger JA, Tang MX, Shea S, Mayeux R. Hyperinsulinemia and risk of Alzheimer disease. Neurology. 2004 Oct 12;63(7):1187-92.

Numerous studies connect diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease.

A study in 2004 examined the association between type II diabetes, high insulin levels, and Alzheimer’s risk. A total of 683 men and women were followed and examined for signs of Alzheimer’s and increased insulin levels. As in the earlier study, the scientists found that high insulin levels, which are intimately connected to type II diabetes, were significantly correlated with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Luchsinger JA, Tang MX, Shea S, Mayeux R. Hyperinsulinemia and risk of Alzheimer disease. Neurology. 2004 Oct 12;63(7):1187-92.

The possible mechanism by which high insulin levels are linked to Alzheimer’s was elucidated in a 2005 study published in the Archives of Neurology. Researchers showed that by mimicking high insulin levels (such as those seen in patients with insulin resistance and type II diabetes) in 16 healthy men ranging in age from 55 to 81, they were able to elevate inflammatory markers and beta amyloid levels in the brain, two characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease.

Fishel MA, Watson GS, Montine TJ, et al. Hyperinsulinemia provokes synchronous increases in central inflammation and beta-amyloid in normal adults. Arch Neurol. 2005 Oct;62(10):1539-44.

See more related information on nutrition, research and Alzheimer’s Disease and diabetes.

One’s Own Stem Cells May Be Key to Treating Angina

The largest national stem cell study for heart disease showed the first evidence that transplanting a potent form of adult stem cells into the heart muscle of subjects with severe angina results in less pain and an improved ability to walk. The transplant subjects also experienced fewer deaths than those who didn’t receive stem cells

Out of the estimated 1 million people in the U.S. who suffer from chronic, severe angina which is chest pain due to blocked arteries, about 300,000 cannot be helped by any traditional medical treatment such as angioplasty, bypass surgery or stents.

“This is the first study to show significant benefit in pain reduction and improved exercise capacity in this population with very advanced heart disease,” said principal investigator Douglas Losordo, M.D., the Eileen M. Foell Professor of Heart Research at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a cardiologist and director of the program in cardiovascular regenerative medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the lead site of the study.

Vitamin D Helps Boost Immunity to Colds

A new study reinforces the role that Vitamin D plays in preventing colds and other respiratory tract infections.

Researchers using data from 18,883 participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that Vitamin D could boost immunity to colds, even after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors such as season, body mass index, and smoking history. The study, published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine reinforces the importance of Vitamin D in avoiding upper respiratory tract infections.

Vitamin D is produced by the body when exposed to direct sunlight. It is crucial for people with limited sun exposure (such as during winter months) to include Vitamin D in their diet. Good sources of Vitamin D include fatty fish, fish liver oils, and eggs.

SOURCE; Association Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Ginde, et al, Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(4):384-390.

Study: Promising Research on differentiating adult stem cells to replace lost RPE cells for those with Macular Degeneration

Adult stem cells coaxed into differentiating into retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, critical for preserving vision for those with macular degeneration. This study was done in vitro and in vivo following transplantation into the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) dystrophic rat.

More research needs to be done to see the application of this technique for humans.

Citation: Carr A-J, Vugler AA, Hikita ST, Lawrence JM, Gias C, et al. (2009) Protective Effects of Human iPS-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cell Transplantation in the Retinal Dystrophic Rat. PLoS ONE 4(12): e8152. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008152

For more related studies on macular degeneration and nutrition, go to Click Here

Elevated Cysteine Levels May Be Important Indicator for Future Heart Disease

In a study of more than 1,200 people undergoing cardiac imaging at Emory because of suspected heart disease, people with high levels of cysteine in the blood were twice as likely to have a heart attack or die over the next few years.

Cysteine could be a valuable marker of cardiovascular risk, but it also has a direct harmful effect on cells, so reducing it may be a valuable treatment strategy, according to researchers.

Cysteine is itself a short-lived precursor to glutathione, one of the main antioxidants found inside cells. We need to have a continuous supply of cysteine, but it is too reactive for us to have very much at any one time.

Smoking and alcohol consumption are also linked with higher levels of oxidized cysteine.

Editor’s Notes: Current research is showing other indicators to be much more accurate in predicting future heart disease than cholesterol levels including C-Reactive Protein levels, Homocysteine levels and possibly now oxidized cysteine levels.

See more information on nutrition and heart disease.