Re: Diet With Low Glycemic Index Slows AMD Progression

Quentin Grady <quentin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This post not CC'd by email
On Thu, 10 May 2007 08:24:53 +1000, "Ozgirl"
<are_we_there_yet@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/556202?sssdmh=dm1.269999&src=nldne

"May 8, 2007 (Ft. Lauderdale) - People whose diet consists of foods that
lead to a high dietary glycemic index have a substantially higher risk of
progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to recent
long-term results from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).

In fact, consumption of highly refined carbohydrates can lead to up to a 17%
increased risk of AMD progression, according to a poster presented at the
annual meeting of the Association for Vision and Research in Ophthalmology
(ARVO).

G'day G'day Jan,

The eye is one of those organs that is not protected by a barrier
that needs insulin to penetrate so whenever the blood glucose level
rises glucose floods into the eye. Nerves, testes and some other
tissues behave similarly and are likely to suffer similarly from
poorly controlled blood glucose levels. The first line of de fence
against age related macular degeneration is to control blood glucose
levels. There are however some back up defenses that are easy to
implement. There are at least three significant pathways by which
glucose byproducts can damage the eye. Along each of these pathways
is found sorbitol and sugar alcohol. Stop or reduce the formation of
sorbitol and one reduces the risk of age related macular degeneration.
For glucose to turn into sorbitol at a reasonable rate requires an
enzyme. This enzyme can be blocked by quercitin. It's unnecessary to
buy quercetin supplements as a biologically active form is found in
onions and related alliums. The joy of the situation is that
quercetin is heat stable. Cooking the onions doesn't destroy the
quercetin. Of course if you boil the onions and let the cooking water
go down the drain then the quercetin is lost.

If others are interested we could collectively explore some other
strategies.

I often have a small steamed onion and half a leek as part of my
evening meal. The steaming cooks at low (boiling water) temps without
losing nutrients in cooking water.

I also often have a breakfast of three scrambled eggs with two or
three chopped spring onions (depending on size) and a clove or two of
garlic (depending on size). I spice with turmeric and pepper and
marmite (a salty UK yeast derivative, esp good with eggs). I add no
milk, and use olive and walnut oils instead of the traditional
butter. The water in the marmite and spring onions keeps the cokking
temp down to 100C. I'm careful not to overcook the eggs, i.e. I leave
them a bit runny, in order not to oxidise the cholesterol in the yolks
and possibly damage other nutrients. The eggs BTW are organic, a label
which is policed by the Soil Association in the UK and does mean
something. I note that the shells of these organic eggs are harder to
break, as is the integument of the yolk, which you have to break for
scrambling. That suggests to me healthier chickens and more nutritious
eggs.

Not to everyone's taste, but I find that a *very* tasty meal which is
also satisfying and sustaining of exercise, such as a few hours
wandering around this very hilly city on foot or bicycle.

--
Chris Malcolm cam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

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