Doctor Urges 30 Plant Foods a Week to Help Fight Vision Loss in 20 Million Americans
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jul 21
Doctor Urges 30 Plant Foods a Week to Help Fight Vision Loss in 20 Million Americans
2 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jul 21
Summary
NYU Langone retinal specialist Dimitra Skondra said emerging evidence links gut health to age-related macular degeneration, a vision-loss disease affecting about 20 million Americans.
Two habits anchor her advice: eat a fiber-rich, mostly plant-based diet with roughly 30 different plant foods a week, and add resistance training to trigger anti-inflammatory myokines that may support gut health.
Skondra tells patients that what is good for the heart is also good for the eyes, while urging them to cut back on ultraprocessed foods and increase fruits, vegetables, beans, herbs and fish.
Macular degeneration is more common after age 55, often starts with subtle blur or poor dark adaptation, and can progress over years to distorted vision or a persistent dark blind spot.
She said more studies are still needed on the gut-eye link, but argued that improving gut health already carries enough broader benefits to make the habits worthwhile.