Cataracts are a threat to the vision of millions, but new study suggests a welcome aid to prevention: wine.
A few glasses of alcohol — especially red wine — a week may help reduce your risk of cataract surgery, new British research suggests.
“The fact that our findings were particularly evident in wine drinkers may suggest a protective role of polyphenol antioxidants, which are especially abundant in red wine,” said study lead author Sharon Chua, a researcher from University College London Institute of Ophthalmology. Her team noted that grape skin is abundant in with healthy antioxidants, an antioxidant-like compound known as resveratrol, and other heathy chemicals called flavonoids.
Too much alcohol — a drink a day or more — wasn’t great for eye health, however. In heavier drinkers, the odds for cataracts actually began to rise, according to the study.
Cataracts often develop with age and occur when the normally clear lens of the eye becomes clouded.
