Islamabad: Besides helping lose weight, being on ketogenic diet – high on fat, low on protein and carbohydrates -- can help the vision of those with glaucoma, a study has found.
Glaucoma is a progressive disease in which damage to the cells that transmit visual information to the brain leads to vision loss and, in some cases, blindness, health news reported.
Higher rates of glaucoma in people with diabetes suggests a potential connection between the disease and metabolic stress.
The study, led by Denise Inman from the Northeast Ohio Medical University in the US, showed that a low carb, high fat diet protects retina cells and their connections to the brain from degeneration.
The results, published in the journal JNeurosci, stated that feeding mice genetically modified to develop glaucoma a ketogenic diet composed of nearly 90 per cent fat for two months protected retinal cells from degeneration by increasing energy availability.
Although further research is required, these findings point to a positive link between diet and eyesight deteroration due to glaucoma.
