osteoporosis
We've all seen her, heartbreaking: the stooped old woman whose gaze is fixed on a spot just in front of her feet. The one who has to sit down and lean back to look you in the eye. They used to call the dome shape on the backs of such women a dowager's hump. But it's certainly not limited only to rich ladies - or even women - and it's not a hump, but the result of years of compression fractures that leave the spine inches shorter and the body twisted.
The woman described above has an extreme case of oesteoporosis, the most common bone disease in most countries, and one that affects an estimated 50 percent of women and 20 percent of men over the age of 50. Once thought to be an inevitable consequence of ageing, today we know that
osteoporosis is a preventable disease, one that, even if it does occur, can be arrested in its development and even reversed.
The best way to understand what happens to your bones as you age is to think in terms of your retirement fund. If you're lucky, you've been saving money over the years, anticipating the day when you'll finally start making withdrawals. The goal, of course, is to ensure that you don't outlive your money. The same is true of bone.
Throughout your life, cells called osteoblasts busily build bone, using hormones, vitamins and minerals in a complex metabolic process to create the densest bone possible. At the same time, however, other cells called osteoblasts busily build bone, using hormones, vitamins and minerals in a complex metabolic process to create the densest bone possible. At the same time, however, other cells called osteoblasts busily build bone, using hormones, vitamins and minerals in a complex metabolic process to create the densest bone possible. At the same time, however, other cells called osteoclasts break down bone (a process called resorption) as it is continually remodelled to maintain living tissue. Normally these processes are in balance - but if for any reason there isn't enough calcium to supply other parts of the body, particularly your brain, muscles and nervous system, calcium will be leached from the skeleton to provide for other needs. That's why calcium intake is so important throughout your life; not so much to build strong bone, but no provide this valuable mineral for the rest of your body so the osteoclasts don't have to dissolve bone to get it.
During childhood and adolescence, the osteoblasts have it over the osteoclasts and you normally build more bone than you lose. But as you age, it's harder for the osteoclasts to hold their own, and the osteoclasts begin gaining until you start losing more bone than you build. This isn't so much of a problem if you have dense bone to begin with, just as retirement-fund withdrawals are fine as long as the priniciple remains relatively intact.
But if you never laid down enough bone to begin with, of if you're following a lifestyle that makes it easier to break down bone and harder to build up bone, at some point you may find yourself with a deficit. When this happens, your bones become lace-like, with holes and paper-thin spots, and you can fracture your wrist simply by pushing open a heavy door. That is osteoporosis.
The best ways to prevent osteoporosis
Fifteen years ago, you'd have been lucky to be evaluated for osteoporosis, let alone diagnosed. That's because there was nothing doctors could do if you had it. Today, though, a plethora of drugs and a greater understanding of the impact of our lifestyle and diet on bone health have made osteoporosis not only treatable but eminently preventable. There follows advice to help you make a great start at preventing or slowing the onset of this disease.
Stop smoking Research helped 152 postmenopausal women who smoked at least ten cigarettes a day to quit. After one smoke-free year, their total hip-bone mineral density increased by 1.52 percent, an amount are significant than it sounds. Also, the bone mineral density in the upper thigh bone increased by 2.9 percent among the quitters.
Hit the weights Strengthening exercises build up more than just muscle; they increase bone density too. While walking and other aerobic exercises are important for maintaining bone throughout your life, regular strength work-out, like those beginnning on page routine 1 Easy does it Day 1 strength exercises, provide the most significant benefits.
Load up on calcium Get it in your diet and, for good measure, take a daily calcium citrate supplement. In one seminal study, 301 healthy postmenopausal women took 500mg a day of calcium carbonate or a placebo for two years. Those taking calcium citrate had small improvements in bone mineral density in their hips and showed no change in the density of their spinal bone. As it turned out, calcium citrate is the form of the mineral best absorbed; take half in the morning, half a right.
Pop some D Calcium is great, but it's just one of the nutritional needs of bone. without vitamin D, calcium can't get into your bones, and the results can be devastating. A recent study at the Southern
Taking blood thinners?
If you answered yes, and you believe you are at risk of developing osteoporosis, talk to your doctor. Older people taking the blood thinner warfarin have a significantly increased risk of fractures from osteoporosis. The correlation is probably due to vitamin K, which affects bone strength. But warfarin interferes with your body's absorption of vitamin K, possibly affecting bone density. So ask your doctor about other options.
General Hospital in Glasgow found that more than 97 percent of 548 elderly patients admitted with a hip fracture had inadequate blood levels of vitamin D. Meanwhile, the Women's Health initiative study, a 15-year-long investigation into the health of postmenopausal women, found that the more consistent they were in taking calcium and vitamin D supplements, the lower their risk of osteoporsis. It doesn't take long for the supplements to produce benefits, investigators found; just two to three years of consistent use reduced the risk of hip fracture by 29 percent. Although study participants took, 1,000mg of calcium carbonate and 400 international units (IUS) Of vitamin D, the researchers suspected that they would have seen an even greater improvement if the vitamin D supplement had been upped to 600 IU. In addition to supplements, exposing your arms and legs, or hands, arms and face to the sun two or three times a week for 5-10 minutes can also guarantee sufficient vitamin D intake.
Switch to decaf A study of 96 women with an average age of 71 found that those getting more than 300 mg of caffeine a day (the amount in three mugs of coffee) had much higher rates of bone loss than women getting less. The really interesting thing is that the bone loss occurred only in women with a certain gene that affects how the body uses vitamin D. If you have a family history of osteoporosis, you may have this genotype and could significantly benefit from cutting out caffeine.
Switch from fizzy drinks to skimmed milk or water When researchers measured the bone mineral density at the spines and hips of 1,413 women, they found that those who drank fizzy drinks every day - whether standard, diet or decaffeinated - had average hip-bone mineral densities 3.7 percent lower and spine densities 5.4 percent lower than those drinking less than one fizzy drink a month.
Take an exercise class A planned exercise programme to increase strength, flexibility and balance can reduce the risk of falls by up to percent, even among frail older people who have already fallen once, according to research funded by the charity Help The Aged. Women aged 75-93 who took regular exercise for just 12 weeks improved the strength of their thigh muscles by 25 percent on average - equivalent to making their thighs 16-20 years younger.
Shape up your cholesterol levels High levels of 'bad' LDL and low levels of 'good' HDL increase the risk of fractures of the vertebrae in postmenopausal women. Plus, a study from researchers at Alberta university in canada found that women with osteopenia (a forerunner of osteoporosis) or osteoporosis of the lower spine and hip were more likely to have high cholesterol levels. Meanhwile, other studies suggest that people taking statins, the most commonly prescribed drugs for high cholesterol, have a 60 percent reduced risk of fracture.
Cholesterol levels are also important when it comes to prevention. When researchers compared mice that had been a fed a high-fat diet, designed to raise cholesterol levels, with those fed a normal diet, they found a 43 percent decrease in mineral content and a 15 percent decrease in bone density in the leg bones of the high-fat-diet mice. One link between cholesterol and osteoporosis may be that free radicals resulting from oxidised cholesterol molecules prevent osteoblasts from fucntioning normally to build up bone.
Add a fruit or vegetable to every meal
While calcium and vitamin D get all the glory, when it comes to oteoporosis prevention, a Scottish Study of 62 health women aged 45-55 found that those who consumed the greatest amount of foods containing zinc, magnesium, potassium, fibre and vitamin C had the highest bone mineral density. The best sources? Fresh fruit and veg.
Munch on some prunes Dried plums, known as prunes, are high in calcium and other nutrients and may hold the key to restoring bone loss in postmenopasual women. Several studies have found that supplementing your diet with around ten prunes a day improves markers of bone formation postmenopasual women.
Eat more calcium
If the only time you buy milk is when you bake a cake or have young children to visit, don't despair! A glass of milk isn't the only way to get your calcium. In fact, it may actually be the worst from of calcium because it's so high in protein, which contributes to bone breakdown. Calcium goals are 700mg a day, and here are some of the best non-dairy dietary sources:
100g tofu 51omg
85g sardines with bones 325mg
80g steamed spinach 144mg
80g steamed kale 120mg
200g baked beans 96mg
2 slices white bread 88mg
Meanwhile, researchers at the university of Bern in Switzerland report that adding prunes to the standard diet of laboratory rats inhibited bone resorption (as did fennel, celeriac, oranges, french beans, mushrooms and red wine). Other studies have shown that when rats induced into an aritificial menopause were fed prunes, it significantly restored bone mass. Researchers don't know exactly why the dried fruit has such an effect, but suspect that it's related to an increased rate of bone formation through some action of plant-based minerals chemicals on
osteoblasts.
Check your dental health The only way to diagnose osteoporosis conclusively is with a bone mineral density test. One early clue that you're at risk, however, may be tooth loss and gum disease. Conversely, if you have osteoporosis you're at a much higher risk of developing gum disease and tooth loss. So if you're having dental problems, ask your doctor to test your bone mineral density.
Vision problems
What if you couldn't watch your grandchildren growing up enjoy the latest films at the cinema or even see well enough to drive your car? Once, poor vision and even blindness were accepted as inevitable parts of growing older - with truly life-altering consequences. The thieves of sight are still with us. These are the four main ones:
New thinking about vision
Exciting new research proves that catching these problems early - sometimes before they've done even a tiny of bit of damage - and treating them with newer, more effective drugs and procedures, could save the sight of millions of older women and men. Even more exciting: pampering and protecting your eyes with smart eating and exercise, and even by choosing the right kind of sunglasses, could slash your risk of ever having these conditions in the first place.
The first rule is to see an optomerist (Optician) at least once every two years, or however often your specialist advises - especially if you are at risk of conditions such as glaucoma or diabetic eye disease. And get checked out promptly if you develop any visual problems. Many people are entitled to free eye tests on the NHS.
And if your optomerist does spot a problem, take action - quickly. The earlier you get treatment for potentially blinding conditions such as glaucoma and AMD, the more likely you are to preserve your precious vision. Prescription-only eyedrops can lower inner-eye pressure (doctors call it intraocular pressure), which destroys the optic nerve in glaucoma. In studies, these eyedrops have significantly slowed or even halted teh advance of this condition.
And treatment for the more advanced 'wet' form of AMD, with new drugs such as ranibizumab (Lucentis), which is injected directly into the back of the eye, can prevent wet AMD from getting worse. Treatment slows visual loss in around 90 percent of people, and significantly improves vision in about a third of patients.
Got cataracts? Consider surgery. Replacing the eye's clouded lens with a plastic, acrylic or silicone version is one of the safest and most effective surgeries you can have. And while doctors once waited until cataracts were advanced, they now suggest having the surgery as soon as you have cataract-related vision problems, such as too much glare from oncoming traffic while driving at night. In fact, driving may be one of the best reasons to go ahead with this procedure. It could save your
life or someone else's. In one study of older drivers, those who had cataract surgery were less likely to be involved in car crashes than those who didn't have the procedure.
Ways to keep your vision clear
You can lower your odds of ever having many common vision problems by following these smart lifestyle steps.
order bouillabaisse or pasta with calms when you eat out Shellfish, such as calms, oysters and mussels, are rich sources of zinc - a mineral known to protect against AMD. other good zinc sources include lean meat, wheat germ, whole grains and yoghurt.
Start the day with porridge? Packed with fibre, this breakfast cereal is especially adept at keeping your blood sguar on an even keel. Your eyes will thank you: in one study of 500 women aged 53-73, those who chose high-fibre foods such as oatmeal - and steered clear of white bread, sugary drinks and high-sugar desserts - cut their risk of developing early signs of AMD in half, compared with women who ate high-sugar, refined-carbohydrate foods.
Make an omelette Fat and fresh, a two-egg omelette is a delicious evening meal. The bonus for your eyes: egg yolks are the food world's richest, most easily absorbable and usable source of the eye-protecting antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. Even better, throw in some sweetcorn or leafy green vegetables, also excellent sources of these two nutrients. As well as their powerful antioxidant action, lutein and zexanthin strengthen the light - sensing cells and blood vessels in the retina
moisturise dry eyes
Your eyes naturally produce tears - a mix of water, oil and mucus - to lubricate, clean and nourish the outer surface of the eye. But wind and sun, ageing and stress, and even various types of medication can reduce your eyes' natural production of tears.
The result is a dry, scratchy, grity feeling - and even pain, redness and blurred vision.
The fix? Start with these items to protect and moisturise your eyes.
SUNGLASSES They shield your eyes from wind, pollen and airborne grit as well as sun - all factors that can dry out your eyes.
We've all seen her, heartbreaking: the stooped old woman whose gaze is fixed on a spot just in front of her feet. The one who has to sit down and lean back to look you in the eye. They used to call the dome shape on the backs of such women a dowager's hump. But it's certainly not limited only to rich ladies - or even women - and it's not a hump, but the result of years of compression fractures that leave the spine inches shorter and the body twisted.
The woman described above has an extreme case of oesteoporosis, the most common bone disease in most countries, and one that affects an estimated 50 percent of women and 20 percent of men over the age of 50. Once thought to be an inevitable consequence of ageing, today we know that
osteoporosis is a preventable disease, one that, even if it does occur, can be arrested in its development and even reversed.
The best way to understand what happens to your bones as you age is to think in terms of your retirement fund. If you're lucky, you've been saving money over the years, anticipating the day when you'll finally start making withdrawals. The goal, of course, is to ensure that you don't outlive your money. The same is true of bone.
Throughout your life, cells called osteoblasts busily build bone, using hormones, vitamins and minerals in a complex metabolic process to create the densest bone possible. At the same time, however, other cells called osteoblasts busily build bone, using hormones, vitamins and minerals in a complex metabolic process to create the densest bone possible. At the same time, however, other cells called osteoblasts busily build bone, using hormones, vitamins and minerals in a complex metabolic process to create the densest bone possible. At the same time, however, other cells called osteoclasts break down bone (a process called resorption) as it is continually remodelled to maintain living tissue. Normally these processes are in balance - but if for any reason there isn't enough calcium to supply other parts of the body, particularly your brain, muscles and nervous system, calcium will be leached from the skeleton to provide for other needs. That's why calcium intake is so important throughout your life; not so much to build strong bone, but no provide this valuable mineral for the rest of your body so the osteoclasts don't have to dissolve bone to get it.
During childhood and adolescence, the osteoblasts have it over the osteoclasts and you normally build more bone than you lose. But as you age, it's harder for the osteoclasts to hold their own, and the osteoclasts begin gaining until you start losing more bone than you build. This isn't so much of a problem if you have dense bone to begin with, just as retirement-fund withdrawals are fine as long as the priniciple remains relatively intact.
But if you never laid down enough bone to begin with, of if you're following a lifestyle that makes it easier to break down bone and harder to build up bone, at some point you may find yourself with a deficit. When this happens, your bones become lace-like, with holes and paper-thin spots, and you can fracture your wrist simply by pushing open a heavy door. That is osteoporosis.
The best ways to prevent osteoporosis
Fifteen years ago, you'd have been lucky to be evaluated for osteoporosis, let alone diagnosed. That's because there was nothing doctors could do if you had it. Today, though, a plethora of drugs and a greater understanding of the impact of our lifestyle and diet on bone health have made osteoporosis not only treatable but eminently preventable. There follows advice to help you make a great start at preventing or slowing the onset of this disease.
Stop smoking Research helped 152 postmenopausal women who smoked at least ten cigarettes a day to quit. After one smoke-free year, their total hip-bone mineral density increased by 1.52 percent, an amount are significant than it sounds. Also, the bone mineral density in the upper thigh bone increased by 2.9 percent among the quitters.
Hit the weights Strengthening exercises build up more than just muscle; they increase bone density too. While walking and other aerobic exercises are important for maintaining bone throughout your life, regular strength work-out, like those beginnning on page routine 1 Easy does it Day 1 strength exercises, provide the most significant benefits.
Load up on calcium Get it in your diet and, for good measure, take a daily calcium citrate supplement. In one seminal study, 301 healthy postmenopausal women took 500mg a day of calcium carbonate or a placebo for two years. Those taking calcium citrate had small improvements in bone mineral density in their hips and showed no change in the density of their spinal bone. As it turned out, calcium citrate is the form of the mineral best absorbed; take half in the morning, half a right.
Pop some D Calcium is great, but it's just one of the nutritional needs of bone. without vitamin D, calcium can't get into your bones, and the results can be devastating. A recent study at the Southern
Taking blood thinners?
If you answered yes, and you believe you are at risk of developing osteoporosis, talk to your doctor. Older people taking the blood thinner warfarin have a significantly increased risk of fractures from osteoporosis. The correlation is probably due to vitamin K, which affects bone strength. But warfarin interferes with your body's absorption of vitamin K, possibly affecting bone density. So ask your doctor about other options.
General Hospital in Glasgow found that more than 97 percent of 548 elderly patients admitted with a hip fracture had inadequate blood levels of vitamin D. Meanwhile, the Women's Health initiative study, a 15-year-long investigation into the health of postmenopausal women, found that the more consistent they were in taking calcium and vitamin D supplements, the lower their risk of osteoporsis. It doesn't take long for the supplements to produce benefits, investigators found; just two to three years of consistent use reduced the risk of hip fracture by 29 percent. Although study participants took, 1,000mg of calcium carbonate and 400 international units (IUS) Of vitamin D, the researchers suspected that they would have seen an even greater improvement if the vitamin D supplement had been upped to 600 IU. In addition to supplements, exposing your arms and legs, or hands, arms and face to the sun two or three times a week for 5-10 minutes can also guarantee sufficient vitamin D intake.
Switch to decaf A study of 96 women with an average age of 71 found that those getting more than 300 mg of caffeine a day (the amount in three mugs of coffee) had much higher rates of bone loss than women getting less. The really interesting thing is that the bone loss occurred only in women with a certain gene that affects how the body uses vitamin D. If you have a family history of osteoporosis, you may have this genotype and could significantly benefit from cutting out caffeine.
Switch from fizzy drinks to skimmed milk or water When researchers measured the bone mineral density at the spines and hips of 1,413 women, they found that those who drank fizzy drinks every day - whether standard, diet or decaffeinated - had average hip-bone mineral densities 3.7 percent lower and spine densities 5.4 percent lower than those drinking less than one fizzy drink a month.
Take an exercise class A planned exercise programme to increase strength, flexibility and balance can reduce the risk of falls by up to percent, even among frail older people who have already fallen once, according to research funded by the charity Help The Aged. Women aged 75-93 who took regular exercise for just 12 weeks improved the strength of their thigh muscles by 25 percent on average - equivalent to making their thighs 16-20 years younger.
Shape up your cholesterol levels High levels of 'bad' LDL and low levels of 'good' HDL increase the risk of fractures of the vertebrae in postmenopausal women. Plus, a study from researchers at Alberta university in canada found that women with osteopenia (a forerunner of osteoporosis) or osteoporosis of the lower spine and hip were more likely to have high cholesterol levels. Meanhwile, other studies suggest that people taking statins, the most commonly prescribed drugs for high cholesterol, have a 60 percent reduced risk of fracture.
Cholesterol levels are also important when it comes to prevention. When researchers compared mice that had been a fed a high-fat diet, designed to raise cholesterol levels, with those fed a normal diet, they found a 43 percent decrease in mineral content and a 15 percent decrease in bone density in the leg bones of the high-fat-diet mice. One link between cholesterol and osteoporosis may be that free radicals resulting from oxidised cholesterol molecules prevent osteoblasts from fucntioning normally to build up bone.
Add a fruit or vegetable to every meal
While calcium and vitamin D get all the glory, when it comes to oteoporosis prevention, a Scottish Study of 62 health women aged 45-55 found that those who consumed the greatest amount of foods containing zinc, magnesium, potassium, fibre and vitamin C had the highest bone mineral density. The best sources? Fresh fruit and veg.
Munch on some prunes Dried plums, known as prunes, are high in calcium and other nutrients and may hold the key to restoring bone loss in postmenopasual women. Several studies have found that supplementing your diet with around ten prunes a day improves markers of bone formation postmenopasual women.
Eat more calcium
If the only time you buy milk is when you bake a cake or have young children to visit, don't despair! A glass of milk isn't the only way to get your calcium. In fact, it may actually be the worst from of calcium because it's so high in protein, which contributes to bone breakdown. Calcium goals are 700mg a day, and here are some of the best non-dairy dietary sources:
100g tofu 51omg
85g sardines with bones 325mg
80g steamed spinach 144mg
80g steamed kale 120mg
200g baked beans 96mg
2 slices white bread 88mg
Meanwhile, researchers at the university of Bern in Switzerland report that adding prunes to the standard diet of laboratory rats inhibited bone resorption (as did fennel, celeriac, oranges, french beans, mushrooms and red wine). Other studies have shown that when rats induced into an aritificial menopause were fed prunes, it significantly restored bone mass. Researchers don't know exactly why the dried fruit has such an effect, but suspect that it's related to an increased rate of bone formation through some action of plant-based minerals chemicals on
osteoblasts.
Check your dental health The only way to diagnose osteoporosis conclusively is with a bone mineral density test. One early clue that you're at risk, however, may be tooth loss and gum disease. Conversely, if you have osteoporosis you're at a much higher risk of developing gum disease and tooth loss. So if you're having dental problems, ask your doctor to test your bone mineral density.
Vision problems
What if you couldn't watch your grandchildren growing up enjoy the latest films at the cinema or even see well enough to drive your car? Once, poor vision and even blindness were accepted as inevitable parts of growing older - with truly life-altering consequences. The thieves of sight are still with us. These are the four main ones:
- The first is the least troublesome: the loss of ability to focus on close objects. Called presbyopia, it affects virtually all adults from their 40s; by the mid 50s, the decrease usually ends, leaving many adults with reading glasses in their pockets, but no other significant damage done. The cause of this problem is merely the loss of elasticity in the lens in your eye, along with the loss of power of the muscles that bend and straighten that lens.
- The second is cataracts, in which the normally clear lens in one or both of your eyes may grow so cloudy that your vision blurs. Half of all people over the age of 80 develop cataracts.
- Third, you may develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A leading cause of blindness in developed countries, AMD slowly damages your retina, the thin lining at the back of the eye that collects visual images.
- Fourth, your optic nerve, which transmits images to your brain, may become damaged by too much fluid pressure inside your eyes - a condition called glaucoma. Once this damage begins, you have a 50 percent risk of going blind in at least one eye within 20 years, unless you take action.
New thinking about vision
Exciting new research proves that catching these problems early - sometimes before they've done even a tiny of bit of damage - and treating them with newer, more effective drugs and procedures, could save the sight of millions of older women and men. Even more exciting: pampering and protecting your eyes with smart eating and exercise, and even by choosing the right kind of sunglasses, could slash your risk of ever having these conditions in the first place.
The first rule is to see an optomerist (Optician) at least once every two years, or however often your specialist advises - especially if you are at risk of conditions such as glaucoma or diabetic eye disease. And get checked out promptly if you develop any visual problems. Many people are entitled to free eye tests on the NHS.
And if your optomerist does spot a problem, take action - quickly. The earlier you get treatment for potentially blinding conditions such as glaucoma and AMD, the more likely you are to preserve your precious vision. Prescription-only eyedrops can lower inner-eye pressure (doctors call it intraocular pressure), which destroys the optic nerve in glaucoma. In studies, these eyedrops have significantly slowed or even halted teh advance of this condition.
And treatment for the more advanced 'wet' form of AMD, with new drugs such as ranibizumab (Lucentis), which is injected directly into the back of the eye, can prevent wet AMD from getting worse. Treatment slows visual loss in around 90 percent of people, and significantly improves vision in about a third of patients.
Got cataracts? Consider surgery. Replacing the eye's clouded lens with a plastic, acrylic or silicone version is one of the safest and most effective surgeries you can have. And while doctors once waited until cataracts were advanced, they now suggest having the surgery as soon as you have cataract-related vision problems, such as too much glare from oncoming traffic while driving at night. In fact, driving may be one of the best reasons to go ahead with this procedure. It could save your
life or someone else's. In one study of older drivers, those who had cataract surgery were less likely to be involved in car crashes than those who didn't have the procedure.
Ways to keep your vision clear
You can lower your odds of ever having many common vision problems by following these smart lifestyle steps.
order bouillabaisse or pasta with calms when you eat out Shellfish, such as calms, oysters and mussels, are rich sources of zinc - a mineral known to protect against AMD. other good zinc sources include lean meat, wheat germ, whole grains and yoghurt.
Start the day with porridge? Packed with fibre, this breakfast cereal is especially adept at keeping your blood sguar on an even keel. Your eyes will thank you: in one study of 500 women aged 53-73, those who chose high-fibre foods such as oatmeal - and steered clear of white bread, sugary drinks and high-sugar desserts - cut their risk of developing early signs of AMD in half, compared with women who ate high-sugar, refined-carbohydrate foods.
Make an omelette Fat and fresh, a two-egg omelette is a delicious evening meal. The bonus for your eyes: egg yolks are the food world's richest, most easily absorbable and usable source of the eye-protecting antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. Even better, throw in some sweetcorn or leafy green vegetables, also excellent sources of these two nutrients. As well as their powerful antioxidant action, lutein and zexanthin strengthen the light - sensing cells and blood vessels in the retina
moisturise dry eyes
Your eyes naturally produce tears - a mix of water, oil and mucus - to lubricate, clean and nourish the outer surface of the eye. But wind and sun, ageing and stress, and even various types of medication can reduce your eyes' natural production of tears.
The result is a dry, scratchy, grity feeling - and even pain, redness and blurred vision.
The fix? Start with these items to protect and moisturise your eyes.
SUNGLASSES They shield your eyes from wind, pollen and airborne grit as well as sun - all factors that can dry out your eyes.
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