Wheat Grass Reverses Cataract-Associated Cloudy Lenses

The idea that one can reverse aging, especially in eye diseases like cataracts, is usually looked upon as an unrealistic expectation. And yet research increasingly reveals that dietary interventions can lead to remarkable improvements. Aloe gel, for instance, was recently found to significantly improve visible signs of skin aging. Who, after all, would not like to age slower and/or reverse the process when unnecessarily accelerated?  And especially when loss of vision and/or potential blindness are at stake.

Watchful waiting, some vague nutritional recommendations, increased use of sunglasses, and, of course, surgical intervention, are still the standard of care from the conventional medical viewpoint. With half of all Americans in their mid-80’s suffering from them, cataracts are generally considered a natural — and inevitable — part of the aging process. But there is a reason why not everyone in their 80’s (i.e. the other 50%) gets them, and it likely has far more to do with nutritional factors, than genetics. How do we know that? Well, the following research may bring the point home poignantly…

There are a broad range of natural substances which have been researched for their ability to prevent cataract associated lens opacity, but wheat grass steals the show when it comes to demonstrably improving the condition, at least in the animal model.

According to a study published in the journal Biogerontology in 2005, on aging reversal titled, “Aging reversibility: from thymus graft to vegetable extract treatment — application to cure an age-associated pathology,”¹ wheat grass may actually REVERSE LENS OPACITY ASSOCIATED WITH CATARACTS:

“Old dogs were orally treated for a month and the lens opacity analysed before and after the treatment. Results showed a reduction from 25 to 40% of lens opacity. The efficacy of wheat sprouts in the recovery of age-related alterations and in treating age-associated pathologies could be due to the contemporary presence of small regulatory acid peptides, a remarkable level of highly energetic phosphoric radicals and antioxidant molecules, peculiarities that may be, to some extent, related to the aging process regulation.” [emphasis added]

Wheat grass, of course, is likely not the only sprouted cereal seed capable of providing these uniquely beneficial properties.  And green foods, such as green leafy vegetables from non-cereal plants, are also of great value.  It is also important to point out that not everyone will do well with the wheat lectin (aka wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)) that is found in wheat sprouts, as it may contribute to osteoarthritis, for example.  But the key point here is that a simple nutritional change — adding something living and green to the diet– may make a world of difference in age-associated degenerative eye conditions, and is at least worth trying before more invasive, expensive and dangerous approaches are utilized.

——-

¹ Andrea Basso, Giuliana Rossolini, Anna Piantanelli, Domenico Amici, Isabella Calzuola, Loretta Mancinelli, Valeria Marsili, Gian Luigi Gianfranceschi. Aging reversibility: from thymus graft to vegetable extract treatment– application to cure an age-associated pathology. Biogerontology. 2005;6(4):245-53. PMID: 16333758

© August 3, 2017 GreenMedInfo LLC. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of GreenMedInfo LLC. Want to learn more from GreenMedInfo? Sign up for the newsletter here http://www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/newsletter.

Surprising: Exercise may Actually Improve Eyesight

You might have heard that exercise treats the symptoms of depression and helps you prevent conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Well, you may be surprised to hear that some research even suggests that exercise can help improve your vision.

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara looked at the effect of exercise on the brain by fitting 18 participants with heart rate monitors and asking them to complete an orientation task while on a stationary bike. This was then repeated during low- and high-intensity exercise and while at rest. The data were then fed into a computer for the researchers to assess. [1]

The team found that low-intensity exercise helped activate the visual cortex, which is involved in processing things that the eyes see.

Study author Barry Giesbrecht said:

“We show that the increased activation – what we call arousal – changes how information is represented, and it’s much more selective. That’s important to understand because how that information then gets used could potentially be different.” [1]

Lead author Tom Bullock, a postdoctoral researcher in UC Santa Barbara’s Attention Lab, said:

“We found that the peak response is enhanced during low-intensity exercise relative to rest and high-intensity exercise. We also found that the curve narrows in, which suggests a reduction in bandwidth.

Source: Mercola.com

Together, the increased gain and reduced bandwidth suggest that these neurons are becoming more sensitive to the stimuli presented during the low-intensity exercise condition relative to the other conditions.” [2]

Read: 4 Natural Ways to Enhance Vision

The research was inspired by a 2014 Emory University study showing that neuron firing rates in mouse and fly brain regions associated with visual processing increase during physical activity. [1] [2]

Giesbrecht added:

“There’s an interesting cross-species link that shows these effects of arousal might have similar consequences for how visual information is processed. That implies the evolution of something that might provide a competitive advantage in some way.” [2]

As for how this occurs, Bullock says there is evidence to suggest that:

“It may be driven by specific neurotransmitters that increase global cortical excitability and that can account for the change in the gain and the increase in the peak response of these tuning profiles.” [2]

The findings point to the overall benefit of exercise on the brain. While many people turn to “brain-training” games to strengthen the mind, experts warned earlier this year that we may be facing a global blindness epidemic from spending so many hours focusing on computer and phone screens.

For the sake of your eyes, skip the apps and activate your brain by getting physically active.

Giesbrecht said that:

“The benefits of brief bouts of exercise might provide a better and more tractable way to influence information processing—versus, say, brain training games or meditation—and in a way that’s not tied to a particular task.” [2]

The findings appear in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Sources:

[1] nzherald.co

[2] Futurity.org

Fitness.Mercola.com

---

---

About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.