Eye Diseases and treatment

Eye Diseases
There are many different eye diseases, each with its own characteristics. Vitamins and minerals can have a protective effect for some of these eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Amd)
AMD is an eye condition which causes the Visual acuity decreases. It literally means ' yellow spot ' decline. The macula (macula lutea) is the part of the retina that allows you to see and that will keep you sharp details can stand out. In the macula are the most light-sensitive cells that lets you contrast and colors can perceive: the cones. The rest of the retina causes you to see well the environment (the periphery).
As the disease goes, can always be observed less detail. Patients usually stay around see's something, but in severe cases the illness can eventually lead to blindness.

AMD especially a problem in seniors
Only 7% of Dutch people know that in industrialized countries such as Netherlands, AMD is the main cause of a persistent deterioration of vision in people over 55. In Netherlands suffers an estimated 14% of people between 55 and 64 years to any form of AMD. A woman of over 75 years has twice as much chance on AMD as a man of the same age. Low estrogen levels (a hormone in the blood) in women after menopause increases the risk of the condition.

Protection from ' rust '
Possible causes of AMD are hardening of the arteries, too much sunlight and high levels of saturated fats and cholesterol. Would also heredity may play a role. It is certain that smoking has a negative effect, people who smoke have a clearly increased risk of AMD. LMD is five times as common in people who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day. That risk remains increased to no less than fifteen years after someone has stopped smoking.
The yellow spot in the eye is also very susceptible to damage by oxygen. This oxidative damage is similar to the rusting of metal and can cause damage to the cells or to function loss. Antioxidants are substances that can protect the body against such oxidative damage. Examples of antioxidants are vitamin C and e. seem carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin to have a protective effect. And the same is true for zinc.

Supplements and LMD
The biggest effect seems to act as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and zinc together. Daily high concentrations of these substances lower the risk by about 35%. American research shows that people who exhibit an early form of AMD in the long run benefit of dietary supplements with high doses of vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and zinc. This preventive treatment can provide a delay of the clinical picture. Because of the high doses it is wise to use these supplements only after consultation with the ophthalmologist.
In addition, it is not clear what the effects of these supplements are on other population groups with other dietary habits. There is therefore no general advice for supplement use in people with AMD.

Cataracts
Cataracts are a clouding of the eye lens. This clouding is caused by clumping together proteins in the lens. Cataracts can occur at a young age or birth. The most common type of cataract is age related cataract. Age related cataract is a normal aging process. Everyone gets it, but not everyone has is bothering. Which complaints occur depends on the place where the cloudiness in the eye lens. The symptoms can range from double vision, blurred vision, difference in colors or seeing flashes of light.

Vitamins and cataracts
From a large u.s. study, which followed more than 121,000 nurses since 1976, found that women younger than 60, which used more than 350 daily mg vitamin C, more than 50% less risk of cataracts. Women who have more than 10 years used vitamin C supplements had less chance of developing cataracts than women who used no supplements. The risk reduction on cataracts by vitamin C occurs on daily amounts of approximately 350 mg or more. The recommended daily allowance of vitamin C is for adults in Netherlands on 70 mg per day. Other studies show similar results on cataracts. Extra vitamin C thus seems to have a positive effect, but it's too early to the recommended amount of vitamin C increase.

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Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is also called brittle bone disease. It is a condition that both in women as in men. The bones are so weak (porous) that you just anything can break.

Bone is living tissue. It is constantly built up and during the whole life. For the thirtieth year is building bigger than the breakdown, causing the bone is stronger and grows. Varied – calcium rich – diet and physical activity  deliver healthy strong bones; This applies both during the construction period and after. After the 35th year the breakdown gradually larger than the building; as a result, the bones less firm.

Healthy eating & exercise reduces the risk of
Research has shown that the chance to get to reduce osteoporosis. We can do very much to themselves to keep our bones strong and healthy. If there is osteoporosis, preventive measures can help to protect against further weakening the bones. Good nutrition and certain dietary supplements are, in addition to exercise and fall prevention, factors that reduces the risk of osteoporosis or on complaints thereof.

Nutrition and osteoporosis
Proper diet typically includes in adequate amounts of all nutrients needed for healthy bones. This applies in particular to the in fat-soluble vitamins D and K and water-soluble vitamins B6, B11, B12 and vitamin C.

There is evidence that extra calcium bone loss may slow down. That is why people need more calcium from 70 years. In addition to sufficient vitamin D and calcium is also exercise important for building and maintaining bones. Research shows that certain fatty acids, such as those in fish, also may be of interest to healthy bones.

Calcium
Calcium is essential for strong and healthy bones. A power supply with about four servings of dairy products per day provides enough calcium to fulfill a requirement. But not everyone gets that. These include vegans or people with lactose intolerance. A diet without dairy delivers no more than 400-500 mg of calcium. However, this is not sufficient to the bones to get or keep in good condition. Cheese is a good calcium source that contains no lactose. Also other fermented dairy products such as yogurt, are good sources of calcium. They are typically well tolerated by people with lactose intolerance. If no or insufficient milk is used, a calcium supplement.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D causes the body calcium (lime) from the diet can record and can use for the bones. You get enough vitamin D through a combination of daily exposure of the skin to sunlight and vitamin D in the diet. Many groups of the Dutch population have extra vitamin D needed in the form of a supplement. Adequate vitamin D is very important for people with osteoporosis. Whether and how much extra vitamin D needed is determined with the attending physician.

Vitamin K
Except for proper blood clotting vitamin K is also needed for the production of certain bone proteins  Proper diet (plenty of vegetables, dairy) supplies enough vitamin k. vitamin is also created by bacteria in the intestine.

Vitamin B6, B11 and B12
The vitamins B6, B11, B12 are involved in building up and dismantling amino acids. Amino acids are building blocks of proteins. The vitamins are especially involved in the conversion of the amino acid methionine into cysteine. If the supply of one or more of these vitamins is insufficient, in the blood increases the concentration of the intermediate of this conversion, the homocysteine. It has been found that an increased homocysteine levels is a risk factor for getting heart disease and that it increases the risk of osteoporosis. Because many elderly people the ability to absorb vitamin B12 (in meat and dairy) is reduced, is a good supply of vitamin B12 for the elderly is absolutely a concern.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C plays an important role in the formation of connective tissue. Those who regularly eat fruit and vegetables, potatoes, usually get enough vitamin C within. Also ready made fruit juices contain a lot of vitamin c.

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How to stay healthy

Healthy life

Good health... It has to do with the style of life, eating habits, regular exercise, relax.

We need to eat, but we do it in general too much and we make the wrong choices. We have to move, but we do this too little. We need to relax, but also we do this often too little. Some guidelines are on this site. Possible they can lend a hand when get or maintain good health.

Healthy eating

With a healthy diet you lay the basis for enough vitamins and minerals. A healthy diet is characterized by the quantity and variety. But what is far and how do you get to that variation? Before that, the nutrition centre called the ' food pyramid '. This pyramid is based on five ' rules ' and five groups with foods.

The five 'rules'

eat varied
not too much
use less saturated fat
eat plenty of vegetables, fruit and bread
go safe with food to
The five groups:
vegetable and fruit
bread, (breakfast) cereals, potatoes, rice, pasta and legumes
dairy, meat (were), fish, egg and meat substitutes
fats and oil
drinks

The recommended quantities

Or the power supply contains enough vitamins and minerals is also dependent on the amounts that a person eats. The Nutrition experts have therefore recommended amounts for different product categories, linked to age categories. By age group, the smallest quantities for women and the largest for men. At all listed quantities provides the weight of products as they are eaten. Who adhere to these recommendations, will normally enough vitamins and minerals.

Sufficient meals

A good daily menu consists of three main meals and no more than three or four times something in between. Don't skip breakfast, lunch or hot meals. Take your rest and time for. That is important to a healthy weight. Choose healthy food, but also enjoy the food!

Enough movement?

Exercise is healthy, but you don't have to overdo it. To stay healthy adults need at least five days a week (and preferably all days of the week), 30 minutes a day, moderately intensive exercise. For children and young people is this 60 minutes a day. Moderately intensive movement where you get a faster breathing, sweating your light goes but which still have enough breath to continue talking. Think of a brisk walk or a bike ride. The move does not need to be contiguous half an hour. It may also, for example, three times ten minutes.

Age Standard Healthy Exercise

Under 18 years daily an hour moderately intense physical activity, at least twice a week the activities which aim to improve or maintain physical fitness (strength, agility and coordination)
18-55 years a half hour moderately intense physical activity on at least five, preferably all days of the week; examples of moderately intense physical activity are walking with 5-6 km/h (so good walking) and cycling with 15 km/h
55-plus a half hour moderately intense physical activity on at least five, preferably all days of the week; for inactive people, without or with restrictions, any extra amount of exercise; examples of moderately intense physical activity are walking with 3-4 km/h and cycling with 10 km/h

Sufficient relaxation?

We must avoid excessive stress. Stress is a form of tension in the body occurs in response to external stimuli. The effects of stress are both physical and mental. Stress doesn't always have to be negative. Someone can have stress for an important sporting event or a job interview. This is a form of stress that disappears after a short time and the body comes to rest.

In today's society, a lot of people expected. Then you have to deal with prolonged stress, and that is not healthy. A few tips that help prevent prolonged stress:

Take time for relaxation
Mirror and don't compare yourself with others
Clearly define your own limits
Listen to your body
Am not a perfectionist, good is good enough
Try not to want everything at once (do)
Try to discover what energy and what produces energy
Enjoy the life

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A healthy education at a young age is important

Being educated at a young age on what foods to eat and the importance (in a non boring way) of being healthy and having a active lifestyle is very important for future life. Many diseases that you can get in later life can be caused by a unhealthy lifestyle in early life for example osteoporosis. Osteoporosis that effects the bone can be avoided if in early life a child has a healthy diet with plenty of calcium and minerals as well as plenty of vitamin d that helps the body absorb calcium. Calcium is very important for healthy bone development and density... also what foods you eat has a impact on the acidity in your stomach eating to acidic foods can mean that the body uses mineral reserves found in your bones to re-balance the acids in your stomach.... but we need these minerals though in our bones! Obviously at a young age, children will not be able to understand the full importance but what we must do is educate them on eating and being healthy.

It can be tricky as the tv is full of fast food adverts and children may think its "uncool" to eat unhealthy... that is why you must take an approach that is not force feeding them but a more subtle approach.

Parents have a great influence on a childs diet... children will tend to copy what there parents do so if a parent is eating junk food then the child is more likely to think that it is okay aswell.

A more in depth article about this will be published so stay tuned for now!

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Organic food

When an item is organic, it is manufactured according to some specific rules that take additional account of the environment and animal welfare.

Eco-pigs

If you buy an organic pork chop, the organic pig – before it was slaughtered and turned into cutlet – got the fresh air and exercise and has mainly lived of organic diet. The pig feed may not be genetically modified.

Just a few sprays

When you buy organic oatmeal, it consists of oats from fields where the Earth as a starting point is manured with natural fertilizers, and where there is no applied herbicides against weeds or straw in the shortening products.

It shall be checked that the farmer and businesses such as. slaughterhouses and dairies to comply with ecology rules.

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Genetically modified food

Genetic engineering means that you change the the genes in plants or animals, so they get new properties. Genetically modified food is created by genetically engineered plants or animals.

Designed vegetables

Gene-splicing or genetic modification means that one inserts the genes into a plant or an animal, so it gets new properties which it does not have naturally.
That way you can eg. few plants to develop properties that make them more resistant to pests and diseases. You can also genetically modified plants, so they produce more vitamins than usual.

It is in the genes

When food is genetically modified, or GM, it means that you have put some alien genes into inheritance installations in the organism (plant, animal or micro-organism), the food is made of. The food is no different that it is GM-unless the new properties are important for appearance, taste or similar.

Completely or partially

Genetically modified food can be either food, where everything is genetically modified – it can be a tomato-or food where some ingredients are genetically modified – it can for example be chips or soy sauce.
Genetic engineering must be approved
Genetically engineered foods must be approved before they can be sold to consumers. When looking at whether the new properties can be harmful to human health or have harmful effects if they spread in the wild. Approval shall be granted only if one believes that the genetically engineered food is as safe to eat as the corresponding non-genetically engineered.
That will appear when the item is genetically modified
There must always be on the label, when the food is genetically modified or contains ingredients that are genetically engineered.
There need not, however, to stand, to an ingredient comes from an animal that has been genetically modified feed. You can therefore buy some sausage with meat from a cow that has lived off genetically modified corn, without that it says on the package.

Do you want to have genetically modified food?

In England, we have not so many genetically engineered foods in such as. in the United States. Even though they are genetically engineered foods are approved, there are many discussions whether it is unhealthy or not to eat genetically modified food.
If you don't want to buy genetically engineered foods, you can check the list of ingredients. Here shall stand, if an ingredient in the food is genetically modified or produced from something that is genetically modified. You can also choose organic food. In organic foods do not use genetically modified ingredients or meat, milk and eggs from animals that have been genetically modified feed.

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Additives

Additives are something you added to the food, to the fx. taste of more, get a different color or keep it longer.
On the item should read what additives it contains.
E-numbers
You can often know the additives that they are called something with E and a number. E.g. is E104 a yellow dye.
E means that there are common rules across the EU for how we should use the drug. If you read the list of ingredients on items such as snacks, sodas and candy, you'll see that they often contain many E numbers.

The manufacturer does not have to write E-number, but can instead write the name of the substance. E.g.  instead of E104.

Flavourings
You can also add flavor to give more flavor. If a food contains aroma, it should read aroma in the list of ingredients or a name on the flavour. It can for example. be vanillin, which causes the food to taste of vanilla. Flavourings do not have E-numbers.

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