After a particularly long day, or maybe as you’re trying to get started early in the morning, a steaming cup of your favorite green tea can truly be a sight for sore eyes. Now, a new study points to benefits from this brew that could actually improve eyesight in some cases.
For people dealing with diabetes, sight loss can be a very serious complication. Close to forty percent of patients with diabetes experience some kind of sight loss, although it can manifest itself in many different ways. Diabetic eye disease includes everything from increased risk for cataracts to secondary glaucoma.
One particular medical issue, diabetic retinopathy, one of the leading causes of blindness in diabetic patients, may be eased by certain properties in green tea. In diabetic persons, blood vessels in the eye can become inflamed or replicate too numerously, causing fluids to leak and, over time, damaging vision.
How does green tea help stave off eye damage? Some researches in São Paulo, Brazil may have the answer. In experiments carried out on rats, the ones treated with green tea were much more resilient to nerve damage than the ones who were not. The conclusion was that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and other antioxidants found in tea have a neuroprotective effect against glutamate. Glutamate is one of the factors that can cause eye damage in patients who are facing the prospect of deteriorating eyesight.
The best way to avoid diabetes and the sight loss that can occur from it is to make lifestyle changes. Monitoring your sugar levels and intake is an important part of staying healthy. If you are diabetic, it’s crucial to monitor your diet to ensure you’re not on the path to dealing with some serious complications down the road. Make sure you always consult with your own doctor for the best medical advice!