The Science of Sugar and Macular Degeneration

[littlemissmartypants]

The Science of Sugar and Macular Degeneration

By Andrea Junge · August 28, 2019

...snip...

Sugar and macular degeneration

Dr. Taylor found a “significant association between sugar intake and the risk for the development for large drusen.”
He found that those who consume a ‘typical American diet’ high in fats and sugar have a ‘much greater risk for macular degeneration’ than those who consume more fruits, vegetables, and fish, such as those that are found in the Mediterranean Diet.

Ingesting sugars can be harmful because they result in the production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs promote inflammation. Excessive intake of sugars has also been linked “not only to AMD, but also to other diseases promoted by inflammation, including cancer, heart disease, and arthritis.”

A high sugar diet can significantly change our gut biome (gut bacteria), which has an effect on our overall health. Our gut biome refers to the bacteria, fungi, and viruses living in our gastrointestinal systems. These changes caused by sugar intake can negatively influence diseases like AMD.1

Quick Tip: You can listen to the interview or read the full transcript of Dr. Taylor’s interview here.

More at the link: https://maculardegeneration.net/living/sugar-eye-health/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Sugar is indicated as a toxin in other respects:

cancer, weight/fat gain, heart conditions, sugar regulation via the pancreas.

Salt and sugar look so innocuous, but they add to our health problems.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Even worse, sugar caused the destruction of my retina and optic nerve...

Before I had diabetes under control, the excess sugar caused leaky retinal capillaries in my right eye. Laser and injection treatments helped for a while, but eventually the optic nerve was destroyed.

Now, while under much better but not great control, my ophthalmologist sees a few problems in my left eye and I have to get the blood sugar even lower.

While it's fine to demonize all that sucrose in your lattes and Lucky Charms, all carbohydrates and sugars, simple and complex, eventually break down into glucose so the cells can use the stuff. Even proteins can break down to glucose at times, and if blood sugar gets low, the liver can create it.

A properly working body can sort all of this stuff out and a decent diet with moderate exercise will keep you going in most cases. You don't have to cut out all sugars, just keep it reasonable. And remember that those fruits and veggies are often sugar/carb heavy. (Just for fun, compare the carb counts and glycemic indices of a few slices of pineapple, a bunch of grapes, a potato and an ear of corn. That donut for breakfast doesn't look so bad after that.)

When things go wrong, though, they can really go wrong.