Popcorn rich in antioxidants

Popcorn is good for you. Yes, believe it or not, a new study in the United States has found that popcorn is rich in polyphenols — antioxidants that prevent damage to cells. In other words, it is beneficial to macular degeneration patients. 

But before you order an extra large bag in the movie theatres, the nutrition is not in the white fluffy part, smothered in oil, butter and salt. It is actually in the hull of the popcorn. 

Polyphenols are concentrated in hulls because popcorn doesn't have a lot of water and because it's 100 per cent whole grain. Some other foods that have polyphenols, such as fruits and vegetables, contain a lot more water.

One serving of popcorn has up to 300mg of antioxidants - nearly double the 160mg for all fruits per serving, said researchers. 

Click here and here to read more.

MDS Talk: Introduction of Ayurveda

Ayurveda, which means the "science of life", is sometimes referred to in Singapore as “traditional Indian medicine" – the equivalent of TCM or traditional Chinese medicine. 

Ayurvedic treatments are based on three fundamental elements termed  “Vata, Pitta and Kapha”. Ayurveda believes in the treatment of not just the affected part, but the individual as a whole, considering the total well being of the person.

Find out how ayurvedic approaches can aid the protection and recovery of our eyes.

Speaker: V.C. Ajith Kumar, Ayurvedic Consultant and Director, Ayush Centre

Date: April 14, 2012 (Sat)

Time: 2pm to 4pm

Venue: Seminar Room, Old Alexandra Hospital

Event is free to all MDS members. If you still have not paid your subscription for 2012-2013, please do so at the door of the event. Just $20 for two years! 

Places are limited so book a seat with alleyes@singnet.com.sg, or call Anne at 6238-7387. 

Glasses help restore vision?

This special type of glasses have a built-in telescope that expands what the wearer is looking at in healthier parts of the eye, helping to restore vision. Click here to watch the video, or check out how it works here:

Coconut oil prevents vision loss?

New research is suggesting that coconut oil may help prevent macular degeneration. On the other hand, a diet consisting of soybean, corn, and other processed vegetable oils can increase your risks of developing macular degeneration. 

Over the past few years several studies have linked polyunsaturated vegetable oils with AMD. The research shows that people who eat polyunsaturated vegetable oils get the disease twice as commonly as those who don't. 

Even more convincing was a recent study where those eating a lot of vegetable oil progressed toward macular degeneration at 3.8 times the rate of those eating a little vegetable oil. Saturated fat has the lowest risk, and the higher the degree of saturation the better.

The macula sits at the back of the eye. The oils that you eat become part of your eye. Polyunsaturated vegetable oils are very susceptible to lipid peroxidation. Peroxidation is a chemical process that causes fats to become rancid. These rancid oils end up interfering with normal cell function, leading to macular degeneration.

When oils become rancid, they create destructive free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that literally rip other molecules apart, causing irreversible damage to cells. Our only means of self-defense against free radicals are antioxidants. 

Antioxidants help prevent lipid peroxidation and the formation of free radicals. Our bodies make antioxidants from the nutrients in our diet. The most common antioxidant nutrients are vitamins C, E, beta-carotene, and the mineral zinc. Lutein, another antioxidant nutrient, has been shown to be effective in slowing the progression of AMD. For this reason, a vitamin regimen high in antioxidant nutrients and especially lutein has been recommended as a possible means to treat macular degeneration.

Saturated fats are very resistant to peroxidation. A high concentration of saturated fat in eye tissue can protect against lipid peroxidation associated with AMD. Coconut oil is higher in saturated fat than any other dietary fat. For this reason, it is very stable and highly resistant to peroxidation. It is so stable that it acts as a protective antioxidant and helps protect against the formation of free radicals.

The oils you need to watch out for are the types people normally use every day - soybean, safflower, corn and other polyunsaturated oils, including margarine and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Even canola oil, a monounsaturated fat, isn’t safe. Olive oil is better because it has a higher percentage of saturated fat.

It’s not just the oils you use in cooking or salads. Packaged convenience foods and junk foods are loaded with hidden polyunsaturated oils. Look at the ingredients in any sauce, dip, bread, cracker, cake mix, or frozen dinner. Vegetable oil is hidden in all of them. Most of us have been consuming these processed foods from the time we could walk.

 

Click here to read more. 

Judi Dench: I'm not going blind

Oscar-winning British actress Judi Dench, who has revealed she is suffering from AMD, tried to downplay fears over her failing sight, saying that she is not going blind. 

She told Reuters in a statement: "In response to the numerous articles in the media concerning my eye condition - macular degeneration - I do not wish for this to be overblown.

"This condition is something that thousands and thousands of people all over the world are having to contend with. It's something that I have learnt to cope with and adapt to - and it will not lead to blindness."

Dench, 77, has said she has no plans to retire. Her seventh Bond film, Skyfall, is due to be released later this year and she is currently promoting The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a comedy-drama set in India.

Click here to read the full Reuters story. 

Tips from MDS members

Some 20 members of Macular Degeneration Society attended our first event of the year last Saturday - an intimate sharing session of our personal strategies in coping  with the disease.

Here's a list of the suggestions offered: 

• Settle on a doctor. It is tempting and common to look for a second, a third or even a fourth opinion. But the sooner you settle on one, you can build a lasting and trusting relationship with your physician, allowing him to know your condition better.

• Don't be afraid to try new things. If it doesn't hurt, give it a shot. We do not know what might work, so don't be too fast to close doors on possible options, be it Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture or vitamins, meditation etc.  

• Be honest and open. It is part of the acceptance which will bring more calm and peace. There is nothing to be ashamed of.

• Doctors are not god. They do not know everything. Do your research so that you are in a better position to discuss with them your best treatment.

• Join MDS so that you can share information with fellow sufferers and get useful tips.

• Take multi-vitamins

• Do things in moderation. Wolfberries may be good for eyes but too much of a good thing may be counter productive. 

• Your eyes are related to your whole physiology. You have to look after the other parts of your body because they are all related.

• Enlarge fonts on your computer and read under bright lights. Don't strain your eyes.

• Expect mood swings. You can never completely get rid of macular degeneration and things can get bad and you will feel depressed. Be conscious and aware of it. 

• Share your condition with others. Most people look at the sufferers of macular degeneration and think that we are normal. But we are not. So we must let people know so that they will give us the space. This is especially so for family members, who must be reminded to put things back where they are and not shift furniture.

• Buy a range of magnifiers. 

• Avoid MSG.

• Do a morning check of your eyes every day.

• Don't let work stress and pressure affect your health.

• Alert bosses and colleagues to your condition so that they will understand if you need help, such as taking time off for eye appointments and even bed rest. 

• Prayers. 

Judi Dench has AMD

Oscar-winning actress Judi Dench has been diagnosed with aged-related macular degeneration and is battling to save her sight. The 77-year-old, who made her name in several James Bond films, said she is unable to read scripts anymore. She is believed to be one of the few global household names who have revealed that they suffer from macular degeneration.

But the British star said she is determined not to let the condition beat her and hopes recent treatment has stopped the progressive decline. She confessed: “I can’t read scripts any more because of the trouble with my eyes. And so somebody comes in and reads them to me, like telling me a story.

"It’s usually my daughter or my agent or a friend and actually I like that, because I sit there and imagine the story in my mind. I’ve got what my ma had, macular degeneration, which you get when you get old.

"I had wet in one eye and dry in the other and they had to do these injections and I think it’s arrested it. I hope so.”

Click here to read the full original story by the Daily Mirror. More by the Guardian and Daily Mail.