Long-term use of vitamin E and C supplements doesn't reduce the risk of age-related cataracts in men.
As oxidative damage is a prominent feature of cataracts, one focus of nutrition research has been the link between dietary intake of nutrients with antioxidant potential, particularly vitamins E and C, and the risk of cataract.
To study the effects of E and C vitamins on the risk of age-related cataracts, researchers enrolled 11,545 healthy American male physicians aged 50 years and older. They were randomly assigned to take 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E daily or a placebo, or 500 milligrams of vitamin C on alternate days or a placebo.
After an average of eight years of treatment and follow-up, there had been 1,174 cataracts and 801 surgeries to remove cataracts and repair the eye lens. There were 579 cataracts in the vitamin E group and 595 cataracts in the placebo group. There were 593 cataracts in the vitamin C group and 581 in the placebo group.
The findings indicate that long-term supplementation with high-dose vitamin E and vitamin C, either alone or in combination, has little effect on rates of cataract diagnosis and extraction.
As oxidative damage is a prominent feature of cataracts, one focus of nutrition research has been the link between dietary intake of nutrients with antioxidant potential, particularly vitamins E and C, and the risk of cataract.
To study the effects of E and C vitamins on the risk of age-related cataracts, researchers enrolled 11,545 healthy American male physicians aged 50 years and older. They were randomly assigned to take 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E daily or a placebo, or 500 milligrams of vitamin C on alternate days or a placebo.
After an average of eight years of treatment and follow-up, there had been 1,174 cataracts and 801 surgeries to remove cataracts and repair the eye lens. There were 579 cataracts in the vitamin E group and 595 cataracts in the placebo group. There were 593 cataracts in the vitamin C group and 581 in the placebo group.
The findings indicate that long-term supplementation with high-dose vitamin E and vitamin C, either alone or in combination, has little effect on rates of cataract diagnosis and extraction.