Cataracts and Vitamin C
Brielle Saylor
Article Summary
New research has developed that increasing foods rich in vitamin C in the diet can slow the progression of cataracts. Cataracts is a common eye condition that leads to clouding of the ocular lens and can result in vision loss. The researchers at King College of London examined 324 pairs of twins over a ten-year time period. At the beginning of the study the participants had a 20 percent risk reduction for cataract. After ten years they are examined the participants and found that they now had a 33 risk reduction for cataracts, compared to people who consumed less vitamin C. The researchers speculate that the increase in vitamin C also increases the vitamin C already in the eye fluid and form a protective barrier against cataract. They also found that these findings were found when the participants consumed more vitamin C through food and not supplements. Some foods that are rich in vitamin C include leafy greens, peppers, citrus fruits, berries and tomatoes. Ingesting too much of the vitamin can cause diarrhea and nausea. A balanced diet including those foods are recommended by the National Institute of Health. Article posted on U.S. News and World Report and written by Samantha Costa on March 24, 2016.
Critique
This was an interesting article about how increasing vitamin C intake slightly it can slow the progression of cataracts. The article was posted on the U.S. News and World Report website. The author of the article was Samantha Costa, she is the health and wellness reporter for the news organization. Before she became a reporter she was a certified pharmacy technician for CVS. She has had 5 total years of experience, 3 years of clinical reporting and 2 years of feature writing for a newspaper. Although the author was a pharmacy technician, she does not have any journalism credentials, she only had previous experience at a newspaper. This article was well written and got to the point without any medical jargon. It was written to the level of the general population. The article is based on the evidence from a press release that was given by the King College London. The head of the research study was Dr. Chris Hammond. The press release was held by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. This article does not give a thorough explanation of the evidence they found, it was just a brief synopsis. There was no misleading information written in the article. It just provided evidence that one study found, there is no concrete evidence that vitamin C helps delay cataracts. If the article provided more evidence about how the study went the article would have more credibility. The U.S. News and World Report is a nation news website that covers a wide range of topics. It was established in 1933. This news station has been around and trusted for years. This article was interesting an I think there should be more studies conducted on the topic.
Works Cited
Costa, S. (2016, March 24). Diets Rich in Vitamin C Can Protects Against Cataracts. Retrieved April 1, 2016, from http://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/2016-03-24/diets-rich-in-vitamin-c-can-protect-against-cataracts