Papayas help minimize vision loss

Excerpts from an 11/18/08 article - Chef adapts recipe, using ingredients that help minimize macular degeneration - by Nancy Churnin for The Dallas Morning News.

About 10 million Americans suffer from age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in people 65 and older, says Dr. Dwain Gordon Fuller, an ophthalmologist and retinal specialist in private practice at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas.

Although there's no cure, Dr. Fuller says there are natural, as well as medical, ways to slow its progress. Recent ongoing studies suggest that certain antioxidants, such as omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins and minerals, can play an important role in eye health.

INGREDIENTS THAT HELP THE EYES

1. Vitamin C: in papayas, tomatoes, tomato paste, red bell peppers, green onions (also found in oranges, grapefruit, strawberries)
2. Vitamin E: in olive oil (also found in safflower and corn oil, almonds, pecans, wheat germ and sunflower seeds)
3. Beta-carotene: in carrots and peaches (also found in other deep orange or yellow fruits and vegetables: cantaloupe, papayas, mangos, apricots and sweet potatoes)
4. Lutein and zeaxanthin: in carrots (also found in dark green leafy vegetables: broccoli, collard greens, asparagus and spinach)
5. Zinc: in pork (also found in beef, lamb, oysters, eggs, shellfish, milk, peanuts, whole grains and wheat germ)

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