Careful! Those Extra Pounds Could Hurt Your Eyes

Here's news that may inspire many to look to lose weight . You've probably heard a lot about the consequences of being overweight is one - 60 percent of Americans and now research from Harvard suggests that those extra pounds can be bad for the eyes . Researchers think some nutrients in the retina of the eye needs could not get there because people either do not eat enough foods that contain these nutrients , or stored in body fat if the nutrients are consumed , they remain contained . Two nutrients such as lutein and zeaxanthin certain ( pronounced loo- teen and zee - ah - zan - thin ) , which is believed to protect against age-related macular degeneration or AMD . Nutrition is part of a group of eye protection - the antioxidant vitamin C , vitamin E , beta - carotene , and zinc . AMD is the leading cause of blindness in older adults today, accounting for 54 percent of all blindness in white Americans and 45 percent of visual impairment in the general population . AMD carve away in central vision , so that the people affected see large patches of gray to black when they just saw something . Ironically , they can still see something with your peripheral vision . Lutein and zeaxanthin are concentrated in the retina at the back of the eye . Total retinal measured , such as " macular pigment density . " Higher macular pigment density , the better . However , higher body mass has been correlated with lower macular pigment in a number of studies . Studies show people carrying extra pounds , especially in the abdominal area and around the waist , are at higher risk of developing AMD . People like , early AMD are at a higher risk of the development of late AMD already . There is also some evidence that a higher body fat may increase the risk of cataracts . If you are overweight , losing weight can be a way to reduce the risk of eye disease age-related , and other chronic diseases . At the same time , for the sake of my eyes, trying to get extra lutein and zeaxanthin in the diet by eating more spinach , corn , kale , orange peppers and other green vegetables and yellow . You can also develop these nutrients in many multivitamin supplements or special food supplements to support eye health