THERE ARE USUALLY no warning signs for glaucoma. It develops so gradually that a person can lose about 40 per cent of vision without noticing. Once lost, it’s irreversible. But early treatment can often stop further damage and protect your vision.
The only way to find out if you have glaucoma is with a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, your dietary habits can impact your risk of glaucoma.
Consuming fruits and veggies can protect against oxidative stress associated with damage to the optic nerve and other tissues of the eye in glaucoma.
A study that included 584 women showed that those who consumed three or more fruit or fruit juice servings per day were 79 per cent less likely to develop glaucoma compared with those who had less than one serving.
Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of vitamins A and C as well as the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. Green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach have been shown to reduce the risk of developing glaucoma.
Nuts and seeds, such as sunflower seeds, almond, hazelnuts and pistachios, are excellent sources of vitamin E which can keep cells healthy. It also protects them from free radical damage, which can break down the protective retinal tissues.
Eating fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines and halibut rich in omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce glaucoma related pressure in the eye.
Chocolates, bananas, avocados, pumpkin seeds and black beans are other healthy food for eye health.
A study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology showed that people who drank at least one cup of hot tea daily reduced their glaucoma risk by 74 per cent compared with those who did not.
People with glaucoma should avoid food that contribute to metabolic syndrome, obesity, blood pressure abnormalities, and diabetes which are all risk factors for primary open-angle glaucoma.
A lower intake of carbohydrates and calories are also beneficial.
Covid-19 may raise risk of diabetes in children
CHILDREN WHO HAD a diagnosis of Covid-19 have an increased risk for diabetes, according to researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
People with diabetes are already known to have an increased risk for severe Covid-19. And diabetic people infected with SARS-CoV-2 experience worsening of diabetes symptoms.
Some studies have already reported that adults who have recovered from Covid-19 have an elevated risk of diabetes. The new report suggests that Covid-19 infection might also trigger newly diagnosed diabetes in children younger than 18.
The researchers analysed two insurance claim databases to calculate the number of new diabetes diagnoses made in children younger than 18, from March 2020 to June 2021. They compared new diabetes diagnosis in those who had Covid-19 with those who did not.
Both data sets showed that children with Covid-19 were more likely to receive a new diabetes diagnosis 30 days after infection than were those without the infection. One data set showed a 2.6-fold increase in new diabetes cases and the second data set showed a 31 per cent increase.
The study highlights the importance for doctors and parents to monitor children for signs and symptoms of diabetes which include increased thirst, frequent urination, unintentional weight loss, fatigue, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting.
Sedentary cancer survivors have worse outcomes
CANCER SURVIVORS who are not physically active and sit for longer periods are much more likely to die early from cancer or other causes.
For the study published in JAMA Oncology, researchers used data from 1,535 cancer survivors, aged 40 years or older.
During up to nine years of follow-up, 293 people died—114 from cancer, 41 from heart diseases and 138 from other causes.
More than half the participants did not engage in any leisure time physical activity and two-thirds typically sat for more than six hours a day.
More than a third of the participants did not exercise and also sat for more than six hours a day. Only about one-third got the recommended 150 hours of exercise a week.
Cancer survivors who did not meet the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity leisure-time physical activity and sat longer than eight hours per day had the highest risk, more than a five-fold increase in the risk of death from all causes, both cancer and non-cancer.
On the other hand, being physically active was associated with lower risks of all-cause and cancer-specific mortality compared with inactivity and can reduce the negative impact of prolonged sitting.
Breastfeeding may reduce risk of heart disease, stroke
WOMEN WHO BREASTFEED have a lower risk of stroke and of developing and dying from heart disease.
Breastfeeding has already been linked to lower risks for breast cancer, ovarian cancer and type-2 diabetes.
The Austrian study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association used data for nearly 1.2 million women from eight studies conducted in different countries between 1986 and 2009. The average age of the women was 51.3 years at the start of the study.
As many as 82 per cent of the women reported having breastfed at some point in their life.
Women who breastfed for any length of time were less likely to develop heart disease, have a stroke or die from heart disease compared with women who had children but never breastfed.
They were 11 per cent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease events, 14 per cent less likely to develop coronary heart disease, 12 per cent less likely to have strokes and 17 per cent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease during 10 years of follow-up.
The benefits seemed to be even greater for those who breastfed for up to one year.
The World Health Organization has long recommended women breastfeed their babies exclusively for at least the first six months of life.
Did You Know?
Men who experience more relationship breakups and live alone longer have higher levels of inflammatory markers in their blood which can put them at risk for age-related diseases, such as cancer, heart disease and type-2 diabetes:
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health
A study that reviewed the after-effects of Botox injections found that there was a 22 to 72 per cent drop in anxiety and anxiety-related disorders among people who got Botox injections for different reasons compared to patients who received other treatments for the same conditions:
Scientific Reports
Removing ovaries with hysterectomy before menopause raises death risk
WOMEN UNDER THE AGE of 50 who had their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed during a hysterectomy for non-cancerous reasons have an increased risk of death, according to a Canadian study published in the BMJ.
Surgical removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes, a procedure known as bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO), is the most common major surgery performed on non-pregnant women worldwide, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
It is often offered to women undergoing hysterectomy to prevent future development of ovarian cancer.
More than two lakh women aged 30 to 70 years undergoing non-malignant hysterectomy were followed for an average of 12 years.
They were divided into four groups based on age at surgery: premenopausal (>45 years), menopausal transition (45-49 years), early menopausal (50-54 years) and late menopausal (<55 years).
Women under 50 who had undergone the surgery had an increased risk of death. But the same risk was not seen in women over 50.
The risk of death declined gradually as women approached menopause and was eliminated after the average age of menopause.
Premenopausal women go through “sudden menopause” because the surgery prematurely stops all ovarian hormone production, the researchers suggested. The loss of oestrogen may predispose women to serious health problems later in life.
Did You Know?
A study of 92,383 men and women who were followed for 28 years showed that those who consumed more than half a tablespoon of olive oil a day had a 19 per cent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases, a 17 per cent lower risk of dying from cancer, a 29 per cent lower risk of dying from a neurodegenerative disease and an 18 per cent lower risk of dying from respiratory disease compared with those who don’t consume olive oil:
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Gum disease linked to heart disease, mental illness
PEOPLE WITH GUM DISEASE are more likely to develop other chronic conditions including heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and mental disorders.
For the British study published in the journal BMJ Open, researchers compared the medical records of 64,379 patients with a history of periodontal disease, including gingivitis and periodontitis, with 2,51,161 people without the condition.
The average age of the cohort was 45 years, and 43 per cent were male.
During an average follow up of 3.4 years, people with gum disease were 37 per cent more likely to develop a mental health condition (depression and anxiety); 33 per cent more likely to develop an autoimmune disease (arthritis, type-1 diabetes, psoriasis); 26 per cent more likely to develop type-2 diabetes; 18 per cent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (heart failure, stroke, vascular dementia; and 7 per cent more likely to develop a cardiometabolic disorder (high blood pressure).
Since poor oral health is extremely common, the study reinforces the importance of regular dental check-ups for “prevention, early identification and treatment of periodontal disease” and to reduce the burden of future chronic diseases.