Taking vitamin E supplements, as well as a higher intake of the B vitamins riboflavin and thiamine, could slow cataract progession, suggest US researchers. Age-related cataract, the world’s leading cause of blindness, affects more than 20 million Americans over the age of 40 years. Surgical correction is currently the only known option for intervention, but researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University are investigating whether dietary changes can help prevent cataracts. In a study published in the April issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology (123, pp517-526), the scientists found that women who reported supplementing their diets with vitamin E for 10 years or more had significantly less progression of cataract development after five years of follow-up.
