Broccol-eye
Could eating broccoli save your eyesight?
The human eye is like a camera. When it works properly, the central portion of the eye works like film, collecting detailed images and sending them to the brain.
But when cells in that region of the eye — known as the macula — begin to deteriorate, eyesight deteriorates. The process, known as macular degeneration, begins with wavy or blurred vision.
In later stages, it can lead to loss of the central area of vision or complete blindness.
Unfortunately, aging is the leading risk factor for macular degeneration.
According to the National Eye Institute, it’s a leading cause of vision loss for people aged 50 and over.
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist Scott Plafker is aiming to change those statistics.
And he thinks the answer might be sitting right in front of us — on our dinner plates.
Plafker has received a new $2.25 million grant from the National Eye Institute to study whether a compound found in vegetables will protect the eye against age-related macular degeneration.
The compound is known as sulforaphane, and it occurs naturally in broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables.
“This compound was discovered in 1992,” Plafker said. “The positive effects are so widespread that it’s in about 30 clinical trials at this very moment, covering a variety of diseases ranging from schizophrenia to emphysema.”
Two years ago, in experiments in his lab at OMRF, Plafker found promising results when he studied the compound for its protective effects in retinal cells.
Now, with a new fouryear grant, he’s going to expand those studies.
Plafker and his OMRF research team will investigate if sulforaphane can preserve vision by maintaining and protecting the layer of cells in the retina that supports the function of light-sensing photoreceptors.
“The hope is that when we consume compounds like this, we can make our cells function as if they’re young cells rather than old ones,” he said.
For Plafker, the new research is particularly exciting because it could offer a cheap, easy and good-for-you solution to a devastating health problem.
“You don’t need a prescription. You can just go to the grocery store and buy these vegetables that are inexpensive and healthy,” he said. “That’s the best kind of treatment.”