ABUJA – Mr Philip Amiengheme, the President, Advocacy for the Prevention and Treatment of Non-Communicable Disease Initiative, an NGO, said eye infections like cataract and glaucoma could be prevented by consuming more fruits and vegetables.
Amiengheme, who is also a nutritionist, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.
He said “beta-carotene, vitamin C and E, lutein and zeaxanthin, zinc, selenium, rutin, Alpha-Lipoic Acid derivable from fruits and vegetables have the capacity to prevent cataract and glaucoma and give you good eye sight.’’
He added that visual conditions such as short sightedness (myopia), long sightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism (presbyopia), lazy eyes (amblyopia), macular degeneration and glaucoma were caused by starvation of eyes of nutrients.
[eap_ad_1]
Amiengheme said that the vitamins, minerals and amino acids that the eyes required to maintain optimal vision were in vitamins A, C, E, B6, zinc and copper.
According to him, most common chronic health problems can be successfully tackled with nutrition-based approaches rather than drugs.
He explained that “the secret of staying healthy and aging gracefully depends greatly in one’s diet and lifestyle. It is therefore essential to follow an adequate balanced diet for healthy living.
“Balanced diet means intake of foods that contain all the six classes of nutrients: protein, carbohydrate, fat, minerals, vitamins and water,’’Amiengheme said.
He said Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) were caused by a combination of poor diet, poor lifestyle and inadequate physical exercise.
The nutritionist quoted Whole Health Organisation (WHO) as saying “NCDs are some of the major causes of deaths particularly in the age group above 35 in Nigeria.’’ (NAN)
[eap_ad_4]
