Simple carbohydrates, like those in cakes and cookies, cheese pizza, white bread or other foods sweetened with sugar or corn syrup can lead to macular degeneration, an incurable degenerative eye disease that is a leading cause of blindness in older adults, according to a recent study.
The New York Times reports that:
"Heavy consumption of foods with a high glycemic index has been implicated in the development of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers, according to background information in the paper, which appears in the July issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The researchers examined 4,099 people ages 55 to 80 enrolled in a larger long-term study of eye health. Each participant had 20/32 vision in at least one eye, and the lens of the eye had to be clear enough to allow good photographs that could be used to diagnose macular degeneration.
None of the participants had diabetes. Using these criteria, the scientists had 8,125 eyes to analyze. They graded the severity of macular degeneration on a scale of one to five, administered food frequency questionnaires and calculated the dietary glycemic index, a number indicating the quantity of high-glycemic foods consumed, for each participant."
Do you have a friend or a loved one with macular degeneration or other forms of eye disease, or do you just want to help?
If so the Foundation Fighting Blindness has you cover.
Race to Cure Blindness is a fundraising program where participants utilize a marathon, triathlon, bike race, or other racing event as a platform to raise money for the Foundation Fighting Blindness. If you would like to use your racing effort to raise money for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the Race to Cure Blindness is an excellent way to make your participation more meaningful and to motivate you when the going gets tough.
Your participation will help raise vital funds that will support the Foundation's urgent mission to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments, and cures for the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.
This program unites people participating in races throughout the country with a very worthy cause furthering the mission of the Foundation Fighting Blindness!
If you are interested in participating in this program, please contact your local Foundation Fighting Blindness Office.