Prevent eye deterioration by eating grapes
Researchers have found that eating a grape-rich diet helps maintain the retina and prevent it from deteriorating.
The retina is made up of light-responsive cells, and we have two types of light-receiving cells, cylindrical and conical,
and the most common degenerative retinal disease is caused by the death of light-receiving cells in old age, the researchers said.
Researchers at the Baskam Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami studied the effect of diet on the retina in mice.
They found that a diet rich in grapes, equivalent to three servings of grapes a day, significantly improved the retina.
The study also found that the mice in the experimental group had a threefold response in cylindrical and conical
light-receiving cells compared to the other group on a grape-free diet.
Experimental mice had a thicker network, lower levels of inflammatory proteins, and higher levels of protective protein than the other group.
Grape-rich diets increase eye health, change signal at the cellular level and fight oxidative stress, said lead researcher Dr. Abigail Hackman.
The findings are being presented to the California Commission of Inquiry.