Resveratrol, a chemical found in grapes (more in some types than others), may just keep certain blood vessels in the eyes from forming, that can cause eye damage.
A study from the Washington University in St. Louis discovered this recently. “The discovery has implications for preserving vision in blinding eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 50.”
Here is the cool part, “The investigators studied mice that develop abnormal blood vessels in the retina after laser treatment. Apte’s team found that when the mice were given resveratrol, the abnormal blood vessels began to disappear.”
The article goes on to say, “because resveratrol is given orally, patients may prefer it to many current treatments for retinal disease, which involve eye injections. The compound also is easily absorbed in the body. [OUCH!]
In mice, resveratrol was effective both at preventing new blood vessels and at eliminating abnormal blood vessels that already had begun to develop.
“This could potentially be a preventive therapy in high-risk patients,” he says. “And because it worked on existing, abnormal blood vessels in the animals, it may be a therapy that can be started after angiogenesis already is causing damage.”
“Apte says the pathway his laboratory has identified may be active not only in those blinding eye diseases, but in cancers and atherosclerosis as well. If so, then one day it might be possible to use resveratrol to improve eyesight and to prevent cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer, too.”
I have a friend who has already experienced improved eyesight with our favorite resveratrol product! At 60, he was having problems seeing through his glasses and the eye doctor told him that his eyesight had corrected itself to 20-20. He’s still doing great and still taking that one little teaspoon a day that has the equivalent resveratrol as 20 bottles of wine.
Here is to your best eyesight!
