Put down those chips! - Lifelines - processed foods may be a risk for age-related macular degeneration - Brief Article

Vibrant Life, July-August, 2002

You know that fats in processed foods can cause heart disease. But now a new study gives you another reason to avoid your favorite chips and cookies.

A Harvard University professor recently studied patients at five of the country's largest ophthalmology centers, and found that those patients who consumed more processed foods on a daily basis were at high risk for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people over age 65. And those eating foods highest in a type of fat known as linoleic acid (found primarily in snack foods like potato chips) put people at an even higher risk.

Macular degeneration is a 30- to 40-year process, so any lifestyle or dietary changes need to be made at an early age. But it's likely that if you're eating a lot of junk food, it's hurting you now in ways that won't become evident for a number of years.

(Archives of Ophthalmology)