In general,
people take vitamins because they believe that they will have a favorable
impact on their health and well being. While the best source of getting the
daily required amount of micronutrients to maintain or improve health is by
eating a proper diet each day, sometimes we just can’t be consistent with food
alone. So, taking vitamin supplements may in fact be helpful in avoiding or
preventing health problems, diseases and conditions. But how much vitamin
intake is good? And is there any adverse effect of taking vitamins?
Vitamins & Risk of Cataracts
Are vitamins good
or bad for affecting your risk of developing cataracts? Researchers reporting
in the American
Journal of Epidemiology evaluated the risks and benefits of taking high dose supplements
of vitamins C and E and low-dose multivitamins with the risk of developing age related
cataract. Their study looked at any
associations of high-dose supplements of vitamins C and E and low dose
multivitamins with the risk of age related cataract in a group of 31,120 men
who ranged in age from 45–79 years of age. Their results suggest that the use of high dose-but not low
dose-single vitamin C or E supplements may increase the risk of age-related
cataract. The risk may be even higher among older men, corticosteroid
users, and long-term users.
If you or someone you know takes high doses of vitamins
or is concerned about their risk of cataracts please call The Eye Care & Surgery
Center at 908-789-8999, visit The
Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or
facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.
The Eye
Care & Surgery Center is located at 592 Springfield Avenue,
Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059
and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout
central and northern New Jersey.
