Adding vitamins
to your daily diet is a common way to make sure that you are meeting the
necessary requirements for overall health. In some cases, people choose to take
very high doses of vitamins to hopefully avoid some health problems. A question
that is often asked is whether taking vitamins is good or bad for your risk of
developing cataracts?
Research on High Dose Vitamins & Cataracts
A study in the American
Journal of Epidemiology evaluated the risks and benefits of taking high dose supplements
of vitamins C and E and low-dose multivitamins with the risk of developing age related
cataract. This study looked at any associations of high-dose supplements of
vitamins C and E and low dose multivitamins with the risk of age related
cataract in a group of 31,120 men who ranged in age from 45–79 years of age.
Their results suggest that the use of
high dose-but not low dose-single vitamin C or E supplements may increase the
risk of age-related cataract. The risk may be even higher among older men,
corticosteroid users, and long-term users.
If you or someone you know takes high doses of vitamins
or is concerned about their risk of cataracts please schedule an eye exam and
cataract evaluation at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham
by calling 205-930-0930, visiting
Alabama Eye & Cataract Center,
Google+ or
www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.
Alabama
Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham is located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th
Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205 and staffed by UAB Medicine
Cataract Surgeons Marc Michelson, M.D. and Tyler Hall, M.D. who perform Laser
Cataract Surgery at UAB Callahan Eye Hospital.
