Bleary-eyed or pure benefits from alcohol shots
through the prevention of diseases such as cancer and heart
disease, but a recent study shows that some forms of alcohol could
play a role, both beneficial and harmful, in cataracts.
According to new research from Martha S. Morris and colleagues at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in the US, alcohol may affect different areas of the lens differently, reports Tufts University.
The researchers studied women who had early forms of two types of cataracts, the most common form, a nuclear opacity as well as a less common form, cortical opacity.
Researchers at the Jean Mayer US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts found that women who drank more than 2 glasses per week of any type of alcohol (beer, wine or distilled spirits) all increased their risk of getting a nuclear opacity by 13 per cent.
When it came to the less common form, cortical opacities, women who drank more than 2 glasses of wine or distilled spirits were less likely to develop a cortical opacity.
The different effects of alcohol on the different types of opacities may be a result of both pro- and anti-oxidant properties of alcoholic beverages and the different ways they interact with components of the eye, say the researchers.
"This study reinforces the importance of eating and drinking in moderation," said Morris. "For people who are predisposed to a nuclear cataract, including those who smoke, who are exposed to too much unprotected UV sunlight or have diabetes, drinking less is probably a good idea," she added.
