Vitamin C deficiency linked to higher cataract risk
Researchers examined 5,638 people age 60 and older from randomly selected villages in north and south India. Subjects were interviewed about socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, and underwent clinical examination. Analysis showed a strong inverse association between vitamin C and cataract (P = .0000011), with minimal impact when other antioxidants were considered in the model (P < .0001). Dietary vitamin C — lutein, zeaxanthin and retinol – was also inversely associated with cataract, but not to the same degree or with the same consistency. Ophthalmology, October 2011