(15-03-13) Vitamin D dramatically improves eyesight of elderly

by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in many Western nations today,
and is responsible for causing an epidemic of illness that touches nearly every
aspect of human health. Even proper eyesight is contingent on adequate vitamin
D intake, it turns out, as illustrated by a recent study that found a
definitive link between increased vitamin D intake and improved eyesight in the
elderly.

Researchers from University College London (UCL) in the U.K. made this
discovery recently after reviewing earlier literature on the benefits of
vitamin D in reducing and even eliminating the amyloid plaques in the brain
associated with Alzheimer's disease. They hypothesized that perhaps vitamin D
may also eliminate the toxic molecules responsible for causing macular
degeneration.

In tests, this hypothesis was confirmed when the researchers administered
nominal doses of vitamin D to one-year-old female mice. After being injected
every three days with a solution containing safflower oil and about 0.9
micrograms (mcg), or roughly 40 international units (IU), of vitamin D for six
weeks, or the equivalent of about 5.75 human years, the mice experienced
considerable improvement.

Follow-up tests conducted at the conclusion of the six-week period found that
mice given the vitamin solution, as opposed to an oil-only placebo, had a
reduced number of inflammation-causing macrophages in their system. Deposits of
amyloid beta, a degenerative toxin that can degrade eyesight, were also
decreased as a result of the vitamin D.

Since amyloid beta is also associated with both Alzheimer's and heart disease,
the overall benefits from increased vitamin D intake can also help prevent
numerous other illnesses, even in doses far lower than what would be considered
therapeutic. Supplementing daily with therapeutic doses of vitamin D, in other
words, is "a very simple and effective route to limit disease progression,"
wrote the authors in their study, which was published in the journal
Neurobiology and Aging.

"This research shows how close study of one part of the body can lead
scientists to discover new knowledge that is more widely applicable," explained
Prof. Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of the Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), which helped fund the study. "By studying
the fundamental biology of one organ scientists can begin to draw links between
a number of diseases in the hope of developing preventive strategies."

A study published in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology back in 2011 made
similar observations, having found that people with high levels of vitamin D in
their blood were far less likely to suffer age-related macular degeneration.
Researchers noted that higher vitamin D levels were associated with about a 60
percent reduced risk of vision loss.

To learn more about vitamin D, and to determine whether or not you might be
deficient, visit:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org

Sources for this article include:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

http://archopht.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=427167

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