Vitamin D3 And Eye Health
It has become common knowledge that the consumption of vitamin D3 is incredibly important for the health of one’s bones.
For the past 8 years, research has continually showed that the moer vitamin D an individual took, the less likely it was for that individual to develop any of the serious chronic diseases, like cancer, heart disease, or multiple sclerosis. And now, the studies have discovered that vitamin D3 also helps improve eyesight problems as a result of aging.
Great for the Eyes
The majority of people think of vitamin A when they think of the vitamin that is good for the eyes. They may also think of beta carotene, for that is another nutrient which helps improve eyesight to some extent.
However, recent studies have discovered that vitamin D is even more important than both vitamin A and beta carotene combined. A bunch of studies were done on mice and the effects vitamin D3 had on their vision. After just siz weeks of vitamin D3 supplementation, the improvements were as follows:
- improved vision
- a decrease in retinal inflammation
- a decrease in the levels of amyloid beta accumulation
- massive reductions in the quantity of retinal macrophage
These discoveries are proof that vitamin D3 may indeed help prevent age-related macular degeneration, by far the most common cause of blindness in the elderly. AMD is also considered to be related to amyloid beta accumulation and inflammation. Fortunately, vitamin D can help reduce the damage done by both of these conditions.
A List of Other Things That’ll Improve Eye Health
Making sure to keep the eyes in optimal condition as you get older takes a lot of work, but is definitely necessary work. It’s not just about taking in one nutrient and assuming that you’ll be okay forever. A comprehensive strategy is more likely going to help one maintain his or her eye health. This strategy include:
- Optimize vitamin D levels. By far, the best way to get your vitamin D is by exposing yourself to the sun. If you live in a place where there isn’t enough sun, or if you just don’t have the time to get under the sun, a vitamin D3 supplement can and should be taken.
- Pay attention and take care of your cardiovascular system. High blood pressure can be damaging to the blood vessels in the retina, which will subsequently restric the amount of free blood flow to the eye. Avoiding fructose is another must, for it restricts blood flow.
- Normalize blood sugar. Too much sugar in the blood will eventually reduce fluid from the lens of the eye, affecting one’s ability to focus in on one particular thing. It also is notorious for damaging the blood vessels in the retina, definitely something that nobody would want if eye health is of any importance.
- Eat plenty of fresh, dark green, leafy veggies. Kale is among the most important vegetables you can get your hands on, but all the dark green, leafy vegetables greatly improve eye health. Making sure to get at the very minimum, 3 servings of dark vegetables per day, will go a long way toward reversing eye damage.
- Omega-3 fats are a must. Omega-3 fatty acids will dramatically reduce the inflammation in the eye. This increases blood flow to the eye and thus makes it easier for one to focus on any given object in line of sight.
- Avoid trans fats like the plague. Unlike saturated fats, which are healthy, trans fats are incredibly unhealthy. They clog arteries and increase inflammation. They are bad for your brain, your blood vessels, and even your eyes. Avoiding them like the plague is a must if one wants to optimize his or her eye health.
- Stop smoking. Smoking dramatically increases free radical-production throughout the body, putting one at risk for less-than-sufficient health in a great many way. Poor eye vision is just one of the negative effects that result from smoking.
As you can see, it is not just vitamin D3 that is responsible for maintaining a healthy pair of eyes. But nonetheless, the benefits that come from taking in more vitamin D3 are legion. Making sure to have at least 3,000 IU of vitamin D3 is enough to keep the eyes working properly. The older one gets, the more D3 one needs. As long as one is exposed to enough sunlight, preferably until the skin turns a slight shade of pink, they have gotten their necessary daily dose of vitamin D3. Just make sure you incorporate foods and supplements rich in vitamin D3, and you won’t have to worry about a rapidly deteriorating vision.