appear that red meat is having an significant effect on the vision of people

Further proof that eating alot of red meat could be bad for you has been released by the American Journal of Epidemiology in a research project with almost 7,000 men and women between the age of 58 and 69. The study specifically set out to see whether there was a connection between the eye condition called Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) (which is the biggest cause of sight loss in older men and women) and the consumption of red meat.

The study which continued for nine years recorded meat consumption based on a ‘food frequency questionnaire’ at the beginning and end of the test and also made use of retinal photography to examine eyes and see if there was any evidence of AMD.

It was seen that the likelihood of the participants developing AMD was almost 50 percent higher among those who ate red meat at least ten times a week compared to those participants who only ate red meat less than five times a week. Other factors which could also increase the chances of AMD developing (like smoking and being very overweight) were also taken into account.

While these study results cannot be deemed to be 100 percent conclusive it does appear that red meat is having an significant effect on the vision of people who eat it a lot. Other research shows that red meat actually contains certain compounds that may cause oxidative damage and may also be toxic to the important part of the eye called the macular. The macular is the section of the retina responsible for being able to see in fine detail.

The researchers therefore concluded that red meat could place people at a higher risk of AMD especially those who had an added risk from other lifestyle influences. In this study the researchers came across almost 1,700 cases of early AMD in the participants.