216 THE CHINA STUDYsignificant protective effect, especially the carotenoids found in the
dark green leafy vegetables. In contrast, supplements of a few vitamins,
including retinol (preformed "vitamin" A), vitamin C and vitamin E
showed little or no beneficial effects. Yet again, we see that while sup-
plements may give great wealth to supplement manufacturers, they will
not give great health to you and me.
When all was said and done, this study found that macular degenera-
tion risk could be reduced by as much as 88%, simply by eating the right
foodsY
At this point you may be wondering, "Where can I get some of those
carotenoids?" Green leafy vegetables, carrots and citrus fruits are all
good sources. Herein lies a problem, however. Among the hundreds
(maybe thousands) of antioxidant carotenoids in these foods, only a
dozen or so have been studied in relation to their biological effects. The
abilities of these chemicals to scavenge and reduce free radical damage
are well established, but the activities of the individual carotenoids vary
enormously depending on dietary and lifestyle conditions. Such varia-
tions make it virtually impossible to predict their individual activities,
either good or bad. The logic of using them as supplements is much too
particular and superficial. It ignores the dynamic of nature. It's much
safer to consume these carotenoids in their natural context, in highly
colored fruits and vegetables.
The second study 42 compared a total of 421 macular degeneration
patients (cases) with 615 controls. Five of the leading clinical centers
specializing in eye diseases and their researchers participated in this
study. The researchers measured the levels of antioxidants in the blood,
rather than the antioxidants consumed. Four kinds of antioxidants were
measured: carotenoids, vitamin C, selenium and vitamin E. Except for
selenium, each of these nutrient groups was associated with fewer cases
of macular degeneration, although only the carotenoids showed statisti-
cally significant results. Risk of macular degeneration was reduced by
two-thirds for those people with the highest levels of carotenoids in
their blood, when compared with the low-carotenoid group.
This reduction of about 65-70% in this study is similar to the reduc-
tion of upwards of 88% in the first study. These two studies conSistently
demonstrated the benefits of antioxidant carotenoids consumed as
food. Given experimental limitations, we can only approximate the pro-
portion of macular degeneration caused by poor dietary habits, and we
cannot know which antioxidants are involved. What we can say, howev-