Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Eat Fruits to Reduce Risk of Diabetes

Did you know that eating fruit can be helpful in reducing your risk of Type 2 Diabetes? In fact according to researchers from Harvard School of Public Health by eating just 3 servings of fruit per week there is a beneficial effect of lowering the risk for Type 2 diabetes. Further, certain fruits were more closely associated with reduced risk of diabetes-especially blueberries, grapes and apples!

Research on Eating Fruit to Lower Risk of Diabetes
According to this report eating certain whole fruits may reduce the risk for Type 2 diabetes, even though fruit juice consumption may increase the risk for diabetes. Investigators combined data from 3 studies: the Nurses' Health Study of more than 66,000 patients, the Nurses' Health Study II of more than 85,000 patients and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study with over 36,000 patients. The participants in all 3 studies completed questionnaires assessing health and lifestyle factors, including diet, every 2 years. The researchers excluded participants with a baseline diagnosis of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer, as well as those who had missing data for fruit or fruit juice consumption or an extremely high or low caloric intake, and those who had an unclear date of diabetes diagnosis. The analysis was adjusted for personal, lifestyle, and dietary risk factors for diabetes. The researchers concluded that every 3 servings of fruit per week were associated with a lower risk for Type 2 diabetes.

If you or someone you know is concerned about their risk of diabetes please call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or http://www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

Alabama Eye & Cataract Center is leading eye care centers in Birmingham located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205

Monday, April 13, 2015

Cataracts Risk with Osteoporosis By Marc Michelson, M.D.

Most everyone knows that calcium is an important part of bone health and keeping bones strong. In fact calcium plays a key role in the development of osteoporosis, a disease in which bones lose their density, become fragile and are more likely to fracture. But did you know that calcium is also an important factor in cataract formation?

Research on Calcium, Osteoporosis & Cataract Risk
Researchers reporting in the journal Clinical Ophthalmology evaluated an association between cataracts, cataract surgery and osteoporosis. Their findings were interesting in that age, female sex, higher socioeconomic class, smoking, chronic renal failure, hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases are all associated with an increased prevalence of osteoporosis. Then, through careful statistical modeling they also found that these factors and osteoporosis are ALL associated with an increased prevalence of cataracts. Thus, they concluded that osteoporosis is associated with the presence of cataracts which may be related to calcium imbalance, hormonal abnormalities, and even a shared genetic predisposition.

If you or someone you know is concerned about osteoporosis and their risk of cataracts, please schedule an eye examination at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham by calling 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or http://www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

Alabama Eye & Cataract Center is located at UAB-Highlands in Birmingham, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, and is staffed by UAB Medicine Cataract Surgeons Marc Michelson, M.D. and Tyler Hall, M.D.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Ocular Melanoma Information

Did you know that Ocular Melanoma (OM) is the most common form of cancer that occurs in the eye?  The facts and information may be surprising, but every year, approximately 2,500 American adults are diagnosed with Ocular Melanoma (OM), an aggressive malignant cancer that starts in the pigment cells that produce eye color. Most often it tends to occur in people with light skin pigmentation and with lighter blue or green eyes and who are over age 50. However, OM also can occur in individuals of every race and at any age.  OM is a silent killer because for about 50 percent of individuals diagnosed with OM, the cancer may is fatal as it quickly metastasizes and spreads to other parts of the body. There are no early warning signs and in many cases Ocular Melanoma is diagnosed during a routine eye exam-further supporting the need to have regular scheduled eye exams. Once OM has developed, some people may experience blurred vision, a change in the shape of the pupil, flashing lights in their vision, loss of vision in the affected eye or a dark spot on the iris.

Ocular Melanoma Causes & Risks
Researchers have found that people with OM tend to have certain gene mutations, which could suggest there is a strong genetic component to the disease. However, they have not concluded that these abnormalities are the cause or whether there is a clear mechanism of genetic transmission. They believe there may be a connection between the development of OM and prolonged exposure to sunlight or artificial light, such as from tanning beds, but there is not significant research confirming this link either.

If you or someone you know is concerned about the risk of Ocular melanoma (OM) please be sure to schedule an eye exam at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham by calling 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or http://www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham is a leading eye care center located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205 and staffed by UAB Medicine eye doctors Marc Michelson, M.D. and Tyler Hall, M.D.