Grapes May Help Prevent Age-Related Blindness

January 20, 2012

Eurek Alert

By Karen Brux

“How can this be? I thought only a drug could cure or prevent a disease.” –KTRN

Can eating grapes slow or help prevent the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a debilitating condition affecting millions of elderly people worldwide? Results from a new study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine suggest this might be the case. The antioxidant actions of grapes are believed to be responsible for these protective effects.

The study compared the impact of an antioxidant-rich diet on vision using mice prone to developing retinal damage in old age in much the same way as humans do. Mice either received a grape-enriched diet, a diet with added lutein, or a normal diet.

The result? Grapes proved to offer dramatic protection: the grape-enriched diet protected against oxidative damage of the retina and prevented blindness in those mice consuming grapes. While lutein was also effective, grapes were found to offer significantly more protection.

“The protective effect of the grapes in this study was remarkable, offering a benefit for vision at old age even if grapes were consumed only at young age,” said principal investigator Silvia Finnemann, PhD, Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University in New York.

Dr. Finnemann noted that results from her study suggest that age-related vision loss is a result of cumulative, oxidative damage over time. “A lifelong diet enriched in natural antioxidants, such as those in grapes, appears to be directly beneficial for RPE and retinal health and function.”

Age-related macular degeneration is a progressive eye condition, leading to the deterioration of the center of the retina, called the macula. It is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Aging of the retina is associated with increased levels of oxidative damage, and oxidative stress is thought to play a pivotal role in the development of AMD.

Click here for the full report.

Uncovered FDA Documents Reveal 26 More Gardasil Deaths

January 6, 2012

Natural Society

By Anthony Gucciardi

“More news of the good deeps that pharmaceutical companies do everyday.”  –KTRN

Judicial Watch, a public-interest group that has leaked countless government reports, has recently uncovered FDA documents that reveal an additional 26 deaths associated with Merck’s HPV vaccine Gardasil. In addition to the 26 deaths occurring between Sept. 1, 2010, and Sept. 15, 2011, the adverse-reaction reports also detail a number of severe side effects including seizures, paralysis, blindness, pancreatitis, speech problems, short-term memory loss and Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

According to both the documents and the Judicial Watch, side effects associated with Gardasil include:

The information was received from the patient’s mother … concerning her healthy 14-year-old daughter who in August 2007, January 2008, and June 2008, was vaccinated with a first, second and third dose of Gardasil … It was reported that the patient experienced several symptoms including numbness and tingling in her fingers and toes, fatigue, a really hard time falling asleep, urinary tract infections, ovarian cyst, moody, trouble getting out of bed and seizures. The patient had had upwards of 150 seizures following her third shot in June 2008. During her seizures she stopped breathing for periods of 30 to 40 seconds. The patient was diagnosed with Neurocardiogenic syndrome and seizures. It was reported that the patient died due to ovarian cyst. The reporter felt that the patient’s symptoms were related to vaccination with Gardasil.

Additional information was received from a newspaper article concerning a 18-year-old female …who on 10-MAY-2007 was vaccinated with Gardasil … in the right arm … The patient who was a college freshman traveled on 05-OCT-2007 to visit her family for the weekend. The patient reportedly felt “slightly ill” upon her arrival and subsequently took an aspirin and went to bed awakening at 1:30 PM the following afternoon “appearing refreshed.” The patient became feverish again that night and woke at 1:00 a.m. the morning of 07-OCT-2007 with chills and a severe headache complaining that “my headache is about to explode.” The patient was taken to a local hospital, where a brain computed axial tomography (CAT) scan was performed and the brain revealed meningococcal disease in her brain and brain stem. The patient was immediately transferred to another hospital and died the evening of 07-OCT-2007 due to complications of meningitis.

Information has been received from a physician regarding a 15-year-old female who on 26-SEP-2007 was vaccinated with her second dose of Gardasil for prevention of HPV … Thirty minutes after the vaccination, the patient experienced a headache and that night went home and slept until the next morning. The patient woke up the next day and went to school. The school nurse called the patient’s mother and informed her that the patient felt tingling in both hands. Later that day, the patient was again sent to the nurse’s office due to a shaking sensation all over. Later that evening, things became worse and the patient started crying from the pain and burning in her back. The patient was taken to the emergency room by her parents. In the emergency room, the patient collapsed and was not able to walk; she was paralyzed from the waist down. It was reported that the patient was hospitalized for two months.

Click here for the full report.

Melbourne Woman, Crippled By Gardasil, Leads Class Action Against Merck

November 22, 2011

Natural News

By Joanne Waldron

“Another example of the evil drug companies not caring that their products cause so much illness. Gardasil is a joke.  How can something that produces seizures, paralysis, and blindness be called safe and effective?” –KTRN

One more woman wishes she could be “one less” person to have received the Merck Gardasil vaccine. In an article in The Herald Sun, Brigid O’Connell reports that a 28-year-old Melbourne woman experienced an auto-immune and neurological attack after receiving a Gardasil jab in July of 2008. A group of seven other women, one who suffered a miscarriage purportedly due to the Gardasil injection, are contemplating joining the court case.

According to O’Connell, the woman’s doctors originally diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis and later recanted this diagnosis and declared that it was a neurological reaction to the Gardasil vaccine. After receiving the injection, she was afflicted with convulsions. Racked by excruciating neck and back pain, she also became unable to walk. Due to the disruption of her life which lasted over two years, the young woman is hoping to be compensated for her medical expenses and lost income.

Body Count Escalating

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Gardasil body count continues to climb. Barbara Hollingsworth reports in The Washington Examiner that between Sept. 1, 2010 and Sept. 15, 2011, 26 new deaths and many more severe adverse reactions were reported in patients receiving Gardasil injections. The adverse reactions included seizures, paralysis, and blindness.

Doctors Silenced

Doctors who dare to speak out about Gardasil are being silenced. According to an article by Norma Erickson, Dr. Sin Hang Lee was aware of some studies that had been submitted to the FDA before any HPV vaccines were approved. These studies demonstrated that there was a substantial increase in pre-cancerous lesions for those who had been exposed to vaccine-relevant genotypes of HPV before receiving Gardasil or Cervarix injections. In order to try to protect those people who were thinking about getting an HPV vaccination, Dr. Lee offered his HPV genotyping test to U.S. medical consumers so they might avoid that potential risk. Dr. Lee’s admirable actions were rewarded by him losing his medical staff privileges at Milford Hospital.

Sex Fears Used To Peddle Vaccines

Dr. Diane Harper, who was instrumental in developing the HPV vaccine, says that unrealistic promises are being made about the jab. According to The Kansas City Star, Harper states that “fear is what sells.” Dr. Douglass quips in The Douglass Report, “When it comes to risk, however, the sky’s the limit: HPV shots have been linked to thousands of horrific problems, including a debilitating nerve disorder and dozens of deaths — and the feds were caught red-handed last year trying to cover them up.”

Click here for the full report.

Uncovered FDA Documents Reveal 26 More Gardasil Deaths

October 24, 2011

Activist Post

By Anthony Gucciardi

Judicial Watch, a public-interest group that has leaked countless government reports, has recently uncovered FDA documents that reveal an additional 26 deaths associated with Merck’s HPV vaccine Gardasil.

In addition to the 26 deaths occurring between Sept. 1, 2010, and Sept. 15, 2011, the adverse-reaction reports also detail a number of severe side effects including seizures, paralysis, blindness, pancreatitis, speech problems, short-term memory loss and Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

The information was received from the patient’s mother … concerning her healthy 14-year-old daughter who in August 2007, January 2008, and June 2008, was vaccinated with a first, second and third dose of Gardasil … It was reported that the patient experienced several symptoms including numbness and tingling in her fingers and toes, fatigue, a really hard time falling asleep, urinary tract infections, ovarian cyst, moody, trouble getting out of bed and seizures. The patient had had upwards of 150 seizures following her third shot in June 2008. During her seizures she stopped breathing for periods of 30 to 40 seconds. The patient was diagnosed with Neurocardiogenic syndrome and seizures. It was reported that the patient died due to ovarian cyst. The reporter felt that the patient’s symptoms were related to vaccination with Gardasil.

Additional information was received from a newspaper article concerning a 18-year-old female …who on 10-MAY-2007 was vaccinated with Gardasil … in the right arm … The patient who was a college freshman traveled on 05-OCT-2007 to visit her family for the weekend. The patient reportedly felt “slightly ill” upon her arrival and subsequently took an aspirin and went to bed awakening at 1:30 PM the following afternoon “appearing refreshed.” The patient became feverish again that night and woke at 1:00 a.m. the morning of 07-OCT-2007 with chills and a severe headache complaining that “my headache is about to explode.” The patient was taken to a local hospital, where a brain computed axial tomography (CAT) scan was performed and the brain revealed meningococcal disease in her brain and brain stem. The patient was immediately transferred to another hospital and died the evening of 07-OCT-2007 due to complications of meningitis.
Information has been received from a physician regarding a 15-year-old female who on 26-SEP-2007 was vaccinated with her second dose of Gardasil for prevention of HPV … Thirty minutes after the vaccination, the patient experienced a headache and that night went home and slept until the next morning. The patient woke up the next day and went to school. The school nurse called the patient’s mother and informed her that the patient felt tingling in both hands. Later that day, the patient was again sent to the nurse’s office due to a shaking sensation all over. Later that evening, things became worse and the patient started crying from the pain and burning in her back. The patient was taken to the emergency room by her parents. In the emergency room, the patient collapsed and was not able to walk; she was paralyzed from the waist down. It was reported that the patient was hospitalized for two months.

The documents add to the mountain of evidence that Gardasil is one of the most deadly vaccinations ever pushed on young children. Gardasil has already been linked to more than 49 deaths and thousands of negative reactions. These FDA documents simply add more reason to discontinue the Gardasil vaccine, however even in the face of compelling evidence it is actually being more widely distributed than ever. This is due to the corrupt nature of Gardasil manufacturer Merck, who utilized financial incentives to help pass a popular California law that allows children as young as 12 to receive the Gardasil shot without parental consent.

The deceptive history of Merck’s Gardasil HPV vaccine

Even beyond the large-scale political deception, Merck is actively deceiving consumers as well. By omitting the death link and serious side effects from their Gardasil advertisements, Merck is tricking consumers into thinking that the popular HPV shot is virtually harmless.

In fact, on the official Merck website there is no mention of death, seizures, or even Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Instead, Merck lists the most common symptoms as the only symptoms outside of allergic reaction. According to Merck, these symptoms include:

pain, swelling, itching, bruising, and redness at the injection site

headache

fever

nausea

dizziness

vomiting

fainting

Of course this is absolutely false, and more severe symptoms were identified long before these recently uncovered FDA documents. Between May 2009 and September 2010 alone, Gardasil was linked to 3,589 harmful reactions and 16 deaths. Of the 3,589 adverse reactions, many were debilitating. Permanent disability was the result of 213 cases; 25 resulted in the diagnosis of Guillain-Barre Syndrome; and there were 789 other “serious” reports according to FDA documents. None of these are discussed on Merck’s website, or even in their widely-distributed print ads.

It seems that Merck is deceiving consumers into thinking Gardasil is safe through the intentional omission of vital facts. These leaked FDA documents reveal even more deaths caused by Gardasil, yet medical professionals still recommend the shot to their patients. Even more unbelievable is the fact that HPV is only responsible for 1% of cancer deaths, while 70% of all HPV infections resolve themselves within a year. That number increases to 90% after two years.

The Gardasil shot is simply not worth the risk of paralysis, death, or countless other side effects.

Click Here For The Full Report From The Activist Post

Why Daily Low Dose Aspirin For Heart Attack Protection Should Be Discouraged

October 14, 2011

Natural News

By: Paul Fassa

Many of us are aware of some negative side effects from low dose daily aspirin use to prevent heart attacks. But lately, more side effects, serious ones, of daily aspirin doses are making the risks outweigh the advantages completely. Fortunately, there are natural substitutes without side effects that match or surpass the daily aspirin for heart attack protection.

Another allopathic myth that backfired

As late as 2007, a massive aspirin TV ad campaign promoting daily low dose aspirins took hold over millions, despite the growing awareness of side effects from this routine. Aspirin zombies were awakened.

Several studies had been conducted on daily aspirin use for over two decades. The studies had mixed results, mostly negative. Gastric hemorrhaging (stomach bleeding) and ulcer production affected close to one-third of the trial subjects.

That seemed tolerable to some, since second heart attacks were reduced. However, fatal heart attacks were not reduced at all by taking low dose aspirin daily.

After a few more years of observation, other side effects manifested. Those on daily aspirin regimens had a twofold increase in hemorrhagic brain strokes, which cripple and kill. In other more recent studies, kidney and liver problems appeared as a result of daily low dose aspirin.

And now, another so-called side effect from daily low dose aspirin has popped up: Blindness. The age group usually involved with daily aspirins for heart protection is in the same age group most vulnerable to Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Wet macular degeneration is the type of AMD most likely to develop into blindness. And the rate of wet AMD occurrences among daily aspirin pill poppers was twice that of senior citizens not taking low dose daily aspirin.

So here we are with this allopathic compulsive blood thinning anti-coagulant: Just as likely to die from a heart attack, twice as likely to suffer a stroke, and very likely to undergo stomach bleeding or ulcers with maybe some kidney or liver damage.

And if you survive those “side effects”, you still may end up suffering from blindness. There must be better pills to pop, or why bother. Even though most mainstream MDs don’t know about them; there are several.

Natural heart protectors without side effects

Arginine, or L-arginine is an amino acid that can produce arterial dilation to keep arteries from constricting. Arginine generates short term nitrous oxide (NO), which acts only when needed to keep blood cells from clumping and clotting, but allows coagulation to occur when appropriate.

Vitamin K2, found in nattokinase or as separate supplements, keeps calcium from hardening along the inner artery walls of your arteries. This is usually what causes hardening of the arteries, calcification of the inner walls. K2 gets calcium out of the blood stream and into bone matter where it belongs.

Hawthorn berry has been used in Oriental Medicine for centuries. It is usually consumed as a tea. You can purchase or make your own tinctures as well, which many consider more potent than teas. Hawthorn berry is a vasodilator (artery and capillary dilator) that also strengthens the heart muscles and helps maintain regular heart beat rhythm.

Tocotrienol, found in natural vitamin E and some CoQ-10 products or even as a separate supplement, is a natural anti-coagulant without side effects.

Other beneficial natural anti-coagulants are fish oil and vitamin C. Magnesium is vital for heart health. Proper diet and exercise are the common sense lifestyle rules that serve as your foundation for heart health regardless of any medicinal supplement choices you deem necessary.

Click here for the full report from Natural News

Hazardous Chemicals Found In Your Personal Care Products

August 12th, 2011

Natural News

By: Shona Botes

These days it seems to be the norm for people to be odour-free and perspiration-free and to boast flawless skin and looks. This is often made possible with the use of a host of so-called personal `care` products. Chemical ingredients found in most of these products have been associated with cancer as well as a host of other illnesses and medical conditions including blindness and even death.

Many people are under the impression that because they are `using it on the outside,` they won’t be absorbing any of the chemicals into their bodies. Unfortunately whatever is applied to our hair or skin will be absorbed into the body and organs.

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulphate is used as a cheap foaming agent in shampoos and many other personal care products. This harsh chemical has been known to affect the protein structure in children’s eyes, leading to incomplete eye development. It is a proven skin irritant and is linked to the formation of cataracts. Because it is absorbed through the skin into the body, it is able to penetrate internal organs such as the brain, liver and heart. The nitrates and nitrites found in SLS are also known carcinogens (cancer-causers). SLS impedes hair growth because of the fact that it damages hair follicles. This can in turn lead to hair loss. It has also been linked to damage of the immune system and may also be responsible for altering genetic information in cells.

Phthalates are another highly toxic chemical found in at least 75% of personal care products. This chemical, also found in plastic products, is able to mimic the role of oestrogen, causing the body to develop symptoms such as PMS, fibroids and fibrocystic breast disease. It has also been known to lower sperm count in men and to damage the adrenal glands, kidneys and liver. Musk products also need to be avoided, as they have been linked to female infertility and disruption of the hormonal system.

Triclosan is another ingredient which needs to be avoided. This so-called antibacterial ingredient not only destroys germs and bad bacteria, but it also kills off the good bacteria needed to keep our immune system healthy. The inclusion of this ingredient in many hand wash products and dish detergents has actually led to the formation of highly resistant strains of bacteria, also known as superbugs.

When used externally, Triclosan can lead to skin irritations. Its use has also been reported to temporarily deactivate sensory nerve endings in the body. If taken internally (no matter how small the amount), it can cause convulsions, collapse of the circulatory system, coma, cold sweats and even death. Long-term use of products containing this chemical (which is actually classified as a pesticide product) can lead to liver and kidney damage, hormonal disruption, suppression of the immune system, heart and lung damage, sterility, brain haemorrhaging and even paralysis.

Once absorbed, these hazardous chemical products are extremely difficult to eliminate from the body, so care should be taken to ensure that you do not use any product containing these chemical ingredients.

Click here for the full report from Natural News

Beta Carotene May Treat Eye Disease

November 1, 2010

Natural News

By: S.L. Baker

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a name for a large group of inherited vision disorders that cause progressive degeneration of the light sensitive membrane that coats the inside of the eye — the retina. For most people with RP, night blindness is the first symptom of the problem. Then side vision goes, resulting in tunnel vision and, eventually, central vision deteriorates. Complete blindness, though uncommon, can occur.

Retinitis pigmentosa has long been declared an “incurable” disease by mainstream medicine, although several studies over the past two decades have shown that vitamin A may slow down RP’s progression. However, many doctors balk at prescribing high dose vitamin A because they fear it will result in liver problems.

But a report just presented at the recent Scientific Program of the 2010 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and Middle East-Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) Joint Meeting held in Chicago has provided new hope for RP sufferers. Researchers have found that the nutrient beta carotene (found abundantly in yellow and orange foods such as carrots and sweet potatoes), which does not carry the liver risks associated with high doses of vitamin A, can improve vision in some people with supposedly incurable RP.

Last year, Dr.Ygal Rotenstreich of the Sheba Medical Center’s Goldschleger Eye Research Institute in Tel Hashomer, Israel, published a study in the British Journal of Opthalmology showing that a specific form of the nutrient beta carotene, dubbed 9-cis, was effective in treating people with the eye disease retinal dystrophy which causes night blindness. Because RP usually usually begins in childhood with the first signs of night blindness, Dr. Rotenstreich and his research team decided to see if 9-cis could be helpful in retinitis pigmentosa, too. And it was.

In their recent study, one third of the 29 participating RP patients showed marked improvement in visual function while taking the prescribed oral dose of the beta carotene for only 90 days. It will take more research to find out if longer treatment would provide even more effective therapy for RP.

“We recommend repeating the study with patients with the genetic forms of RP that would be most likely to respond to oral beta carotene,” Dr. Rotenstreich said in a press statement. “We know its positive effect is associated with retinoid cycle defect, which is involved in some but not all forms of RP. Also, future research should look for the optimal beta carotene dosage.”

Click here for the full report from Natural News

Diabetes To Double or Triple in US By 2050

October 22nd, 2010

Reuters

By: Xavier Briand

Up to a third of U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050 if Americans continue to gain weight and avoid exercise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projected on Friday.

The numbers are certain to go up as the population gets older, but they will accelerate even more unless Americans change their behavior, the CDC said.

“We project that, over the next 40 years, the prevalence of total diabetes (diagnosed and undiagnosed) in the United States will increase from its current level of about one in 10 adults to between one in five and one in three adults in 2050,” the CDC’s James Boyle and colleagues wrote in their report.

“These are alarming numbers that show how critical it is to change the course of type-2 diabetes,” CDC diabetes expert Ann Albright said in a statement.

“Successful programs to improve lifestyle choices on healthy eating and physical activity must be made more widely available because the stakes are too high and the personal toll too devastating to fail.”

The CDC says about 24 million U.S. adults have diabetes now, most of them type-2 diabetes linked strongly with poor diet and lack of exercise.

Boyle’s team took census numbers and data on current diabetes cases to make models projecting a trend. No matter what, diabetes will become more common, they said.

“These projected increases are largely attributable to the aging of the U.S. population, increasing numbers of members of higher-risk minority groups in the population, and people with diabetes living longer,” they wrote.

Diabetes was the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States in 2007, and is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults under age 75, as well as kidney failure, and leg and foot amputations not caused by injury.

“Diabetes, costing the United States more than $174 billion per year in 2007, is expected to take an increasingly large financial toll in subsequent years,” Boyle’s team wrote.

Click here for the full report from Reuters

Products Sweetened With Fructose Linked To High Blood Pressure

July 16, 2010

NaturalNews

By: S.L. Baker

Fruits and vegetables contain relatively small amounts of the form of sugar known as fructose. But the typical American diet is now loaded with unnaturally high amounts of refined versions of this sweetener, primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS is found in everything from soft drinks and juice drinks to bakery products and other processed foods and it has been linked to a host of health woes ranging from obesity to the pre-diabetic condition known as metabolic syndrome. Now researchers have found that consuming foods sweetened with fructose raises the risk of developing one of the top killers in the U.S. — high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.

According to the Institute of Medicine, one in three Americans has hypertension and many don’t know their blood pressure is elevated, putting them at risk for several deadly diseases. For example, hypertension is blamed for more than one-third of heart attacks. It’s also a leading cause of strokes and kidney failure, plays a role in blindness and can contribute to dementia, too.

Scientists have searched for environmental factors that might play a role in the development of high blood pressure — and it appears a big connection to diet has been found. Diana Jalal, MD, of the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center, and her colleagues have come up with evidence that the rise in the rate of hypertension over the past hundred years is directly related to the increase in the consumption of fructose.

Dr. Jalal and her research team analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected from 2003 to 2006. Their study involved 4,528 US adults 18 years of age or older with no prior history of hypertension. The research subjects answered questions about their consumption of foods and beverages such as fruit juices, soft drinks, bakery products, and candy sweetened with fructose (primarily HFCS).

The results, just published in the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN), showed that people whose diet contained 74 grams or more per day of fructose — the equivalent of drinking about 2 and a half soft drinks daily — had a greatly increased risk of high blood pressure. A normal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mmHg. But for research participants consuming fructose regularly, the risk of a high blood pressure level of 134/85 went up 26 percent and the risk of having a blood pressure reading of 140/90 climbed by 30 percent. However, the risk of very high blood pressure — 160/100 — was 77 percent higher in those consuming fructose sweetened foods and drinks on a daily basis.

According to the scientists, their findings suggest that cutting back on foods and beverages containing a lot of fructose might decrease the risk of developing hypertension. “Our study identifies a potentially modifiable risk factor for high blood pressure,” Dr. Jalal said in a statement to the media. “However, well-planned prospective randomized clinical studies need to be completed to see if low fructose diets will prevent the development of hypertension and its complications.”

Click Here To Read The Full Article

Resveratrol May Prevent Eye Disease, Blindness

July 14, 2010

Natural News

By: S. L. Baker

Resveratrol — a natural compound found in red wine, grapes, blueberries, peanuts and other plants — has been found to promote longevity and health in a variety of ways. For example, scientists have found evidence it prevents heart disease, helps keep weight under control, normalizes cholesterol levels and may prevent diabetes (http://www.naturalnews.com/027420_r…). Now there’s another benefit to add to this remarkable list of benefits: it could prevent some of the top causes of blindness.

Vision researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have documented that resveratrol stops out-of-control blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) in the eye. This discovery means resveratrol could preserve vision in three major blinding eye diseases: age-related macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 50); diabetic retinopathy, which causes vision loss in about 20 percent of people with diabetes; and retinopathy of prematurity which occurs when premature babies experience an obstruction of blood flow into the retina — a condition that blinds 50,000 infants each year.

“A great deal of research has identified resveratrol as an anti-aging compound, and given our interest in age-related eye disease, we wanted to find out whether there was a link,” Washington University retina specialist Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD, the study’s senior investigator, said in a statement to the media. “There were reports on resveratrol’s effects on blood vessels in other parts of the body, but there was no evidence that it had any effects within the eye.”

So Dr. Apte’s research team decided to test resveratrol on mice that develop abnormal blood vessels in the retina after laser treatment. Their findings, published in the July issue of the American Journal of Pathology, showed that when the rodents were given resveratrol, the phytochemical prevented the growth of abnormal blood vessels. In fact, abnormal blood vessels that already existed actually began to disappear.

When the scientists examined cells of the animals’ blood vessels in the lab, they found a new pathway — known as a eukaryotic elongation factor-2 kinase (eEF2) regulated pathway — that is behind resveratrol’s eye-protective power.

“We have identified a novel pathway that could become a new target for therapies. And we believe the pathway may be involved both in age-related eye disease and in other diseases where angiogenesis plays a destructive role,” Dr. Apte stated. “This could potentially be a preventive therapy in high-risk patients. And because it worked on existing, abnormal blood vessels in the animals, it may be a therapy that can be started after angiogenesis already is causing damage.”

What’s more, the resveratrol-mediated pathway Dr. Apte’s laboratory has identified may be active not only in several blindness-causing eye diseases, but in cancers and atherosclerosis, as well. That means it might be possible to use resveratrol to not only protect and improve eyesight but to prevent cardiovascular disease and some types of malignancies, too, according to Dr. Apte.

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