Elderly people who eat red meat may suffer from vision loss

　　Scientists at the Eye Research Center of the University of Melbourne, Australia, selected 6,734 people aged 58 to 69 in 1990. healthy people take part in the experiment. They spent 4 years observing and recording the subjects' dietary conditions, mainly meat intake. From 2003 to 2006, researchers followed the subjects to see whether they developed age-related macular degeneration. It was found that 1,757 people had lesions, of which 1,680 were in the early stage and 77 were in the late stage.

　　Researchers set the normal amount of red meat consumed by each person as one serving per day and found that those who ate 10 or more servings of red meat had a 47% higher risk of developing macular degeneration compared with those who ate less than five servings of red meat per week. The research report was published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. Elaine Zong, who led the experiment, said: "During the experiment, a quarter of the subjects ate at least 10 servings of red meat per week. Eating salami and sausages has a greater impact on macular degeneration than fresh red meat. ” This is the first time researchers have looked in detail at the link between eating meat and early-stage macular degeneration, she said. Focusing on prevention, the researchers said in the report: "We found that different types of meat have different effects on the risk of age-related macular degeneration. ” “"Consumption of large amounts of red meat may be a special influencing factor for the occurrence of early macular degeneration," the report said. In certain groups of people, this dietary habit may induce other pathogenic factors and increase the risk of disease. Elaine Zong said that excessive intake of red meat increases the risk of macular degeneration because red meat can promote the increase of substances harmful to the retina.

　　Age-related macular degeneration is a type of retinal disease that can cause vision loss. The cure rate is low, so early prevention and treatment is important. This disease is more common in people over the age of 50. New blood vessels in the patient's eyes leak fluid and produce scar tissue that affects vision. This eye disease is the leading cause of vision loss in Australians. One in seven Australians over the age of 50 develops macular degeneration. The number of people who are blind due to this disease in the UK is as high as 500,000, and the number is increasing year by year. Scientists recommend that people eat less red meat to prevent macular degeneration. Still doubtful: Research finds that eating 3.5 servings of chicken a week can help prevent macular degeneration. Compared with subjects who ate 1.5 servings of chicken per week, those who ate more chicken were 57% less likely to experience vision loss. Chicken, fish, shrimp, etc. are white meats. But the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists has reservations about the findings. A spokesman for the medical school said: "The current research evidence is insufficient to provide advice to the public. ” Australia's "Blue Mountains Eye Research" project has found that zinc intake can help prevent and treat age-related macular degeneration. People who consumed more zinc were significantly less likely to develop this eye disease. Based on this research conclusion, the Australian Meat and Livestock Company questioned the theory that red meat causes disease: "Most of the zinc in the diet comes from red meat. The body absorbs far more zinc from red meat than from vegetables (vegetable foods), dairy products, bread and cereals. ”

　　Therefore, the majority of elderly friends should eat less red meat and more white meat in their daily lives, and adjust their meals reasonably, so as to facilitate prevention disease , stay healthy.