Eating blueberries multiple times a week slashes the risk of age-related macular degeneration by up to 64 percent.
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in older adults. However, evidence suggests that some dietary components reduce the risk of the disease. A recent study found that eating blueberries cuts the risk of age-related macular degeneration by 64 percent.
The study involved roughly 35,000 middle-aged and older women enrolled in the Women’s Health Study. Researchers used questionnaires to collect information about the women’s blueberry intake and eye health for about 11 years.
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They found that eating blueberries one to three times a month reduced the risk of age-related macular degeneration by 10 percent, eating them once a week by 29 percent, more than once a week by 32 percent, and two or more times a week by 64 percent. Eating more blueberries didn’t show a protective effect against developing cataracts; however, higher anthocyanin intake did confer a 10 percent reduction in risk.
Blueberries are rich in anthocyanins – a class of flavonoid compounds that exert robust antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties via hormetic effects. Learn about the hormetic effects of anthocyanin-rich blueberries as well as other hormetic compounds in this smoothie recipe video.