A recent study done in India has found that elderly with a low intake of vitamin C in their diet are at an increased risk of developing cataract. Cataract is a medical condition in which there is clouding of the lens resulting in vision problems. It is a fairly common problem affecting large sections of population in India.
The researchers examined more than 5,600 Indians above the age of 60 for cataract. They also analyzed the diet and lifestyle habits of the participants and measured the vitamin C levels in their blood. Almost 73% of the participants were found to have cataract. However, the incidence of cataract reduced as the vitamin C intake in diet and its level in blood rose. The incidence of cataract in people with the highest level of vitamin C in blood was about 39% lower than people with the lowest level of vitamin C. The study found that the vitamin C levels were generally low across the participants with almost 50% of them being deficient in it. The bottom 30% of the group had vitamin C below the level of detection.
When the level of vitamin C is less than 11micromoles/ liter, it is considered as deficiency. Even the participants with the highest level of vitamin C in their blood had 38 micromoles/ liter. As compared to this, in similar type of studies conducted in Europe and the U.S., the level of vitamin C in the upper end group was about 70 micromoles/ liter. This shows that the elderly Indian population is generally deficient in vitamin C. The lens in our eyes absorbs ultraviolet radiations in the sunrays which can lead to oxidative stress. Laboratory studies have shown that vitamin C plays an important role in protecting the eye lens from damage caused by oxidative stress. Further studies are required to prove whether extra intake of vitamin C can lower the risk of cataract. If that is found to be true, it can hold tremendous benefits to a large number of people suffering from cataract in India.
References:
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016164201100279X
- http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/07/14/us-vitaminc-cataract-idINTRE76D5MI20110714
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