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The eyes have it: 3 more reasons

For this next section, I was reviewing the effects of wine on the eye. One of the groups working on these issues is from the “Department of Wine, Food and Molecular Biosciences” at Lincoln University in New Zealand. The fact that such a department exists seems reason enough to celebrate! Here are my insights on wine and vision:
25. A group from Tufts University evaluated the relationship of drinking patterns to development of cataracts. They found that the risk of cataracts was increased with alcohol consumption generally, but decreased by 12% for every two glasses of wine consumed per week.
26. Early experimental evidence points to a possible role of wine polyphenols and other antioxidants in the treatment and prevention of glaucoma.

27. A 2006 study found a possible protective effect of wine consumption and age-related macular degeneration, one of the most onerous causes of visual impairment. The study found increased risk with alcohol consumption in the form of beer or spirits, but a protective effect with wine consumption. A separate study identified resveratrol as a likely mediator of this benefit by reducing oxidative stress in the retina.

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