Can Eating Too Much Grains and Sugar Make You Blind?

It’s doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that too much carbohydrates and sugars are causing bulging waistlines.

But how is blindness part of the dangers of grains?

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss and affects one in four people as they grow old. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of vision loss in Western countries, and is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in Americans over the age of 60.

The macula, which is composed of light-sensitive cones and rods and essential for central vision, is found at the back of your eye in the middle portion of your retina.

Central vision is what you use to recognize people’s faces and do detailed work. Warning signs of macular degeneration include:

•    blurred vision or a need for more light when reading
•    straight lines slowly start appearing crooked
•    dark or empty spaces begin to block your central vision

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study, which analyzed the dietary intake and other data from more than 4,000 men and women aged 55 to 80, suggests that consuming high amounts of carbohydrates that cause a rapid spike and drop in blood sugar levels – like white bread, rice, pasta and potatoes – could be a risk factor for AMD.

Protect Your Vision with the No-Grain Diet

Whether you’re in your early twenties or approaching your sixties, drastically reducing or eliminating your intake of grains and sugars will help protect your vision and do wonders to your overall health, Dr. Joseph Mercola advises.

Lutein, an oil-soluble antioxidant which occurs naturally and abundantly in raw egg yolks as well as green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, has been found to help lower your risk of macular degeneration.

Dr. Mercola’s no-grain diet will help keep your eyesight good by dropping carbohydrates and sugars from your diet and increasing your intake of vegetables to provide you with eye-protective antioxidants such as lutein.

Consuming natural foods like blueberries and foods rich in omega-fats, as well as avoiding dangerous trans fats, are also part of the principles of the no-grain diet and are additional steps you can take to prevent macular degeneration.

Don’t take your eyesight for granted. Modify your diet to preserve your good vision.

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