At a glance
Cataracts develop gradually as oxidative stress and metabolic imbalances impact the eye’s lens over time. Making changes to your diet and maintaining eye-supportive habits can help promote long-term eye clarity and healthy vision.
Cataracts are a widespread eye disease characterized by clouding of the eye’s lens. If left untreated, they can impair vision and even lead to loss of sight.
Discover lifestyle changes that can help support long-term eye health and learn why a low-carb diet is one of the best strategies to promote healthy eyes and vision.
What are cataracts?
Cataracts are one of the most common age-related eye diseases, marked by the clouding of the lens inside the eye.
This condition occurs when proteins in the lens break down and clump together, impairing the eye’s ability to focus light properly onto the retina.
While age-related cataracts are the most frequent type, other forms, such as congenital cataracts, can occur in newborns due to genetic factors or maternal infections during pregnancy.
Another type, the posterior subcapsular cataract, forms at the back of the lens and often progresses rapidly, affecting near vision and causing glare.
Cataracts significantly impair vision and are a leading cause of vision loss. Currently, cataract surgery is the only conventionally accepted treatment and involves removing the clouded lens and replacing it with a clear artificial intraocular lens.
While surgery can be highly effective, research published in Medicine notes that surgery may carry risks, including an increased chance of age-related macular degeneration, which damages the retina and central vision.1
Therefore, adopting supportive lifestyle habits in combination with regular eye exams is crucial for supporting normal vision and helping to potentially reduce the risk of developing cataracts.
Watch the video below to discover how to support eye health and clarity.
Symptoms of cataracts
Cataracts develop gradually, causing subtle vision changes that worsen over time and can make daily tasks more challenging.
Common symptoms of cataracts include:
- Blurry or cloudy vision
- Double images in one eye
- Halos or glare around lights
- Increased sensitivity to bright light
- Difficulty seeing at night
- Difficulty seeing fine print or other details
- Colors that appear dull, muted, or yellowed
These symptoms may progress slowly and often differ from person to person. Advanced cataracts, particularly when left untreated, can lead to vision loss and increase the risk of retinal detachment, a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention.
If you begin experiencing changes in vision or eye discomfort, it’s crucial to consult an eye doctor, as identifying cataracts early can help ensure timely treatment to protect your vision.
Causes and risk factors
Cataracts can develop from a combination of age-related changes, environmental exposures, lifestyle habits, and certain health factors.
Research published in Antioxidants notes that a primary factor in cataract development is oxidative stress, which occurs when the lens is exposed to more reactive oxygen species (ROS) than the body’s natural defenses can neutralize.2
Over time, this oxidative burden, which can be exacerbated by aging, diet, metabolic imbalances, smoking, alcohol use, and excessive exposure to UV rays, can deplete antioxidants in the eye and damage lens proteins, gradually reducing clarity and leading to cloudiness.
Individuals with poor blood sugar control, typically linked to a high-carb diet, face a higher risk of developing cataracts.
When blood sugar levels rise, glucose can enter the eye and convert to sorbitol, which can accumulate in the lens and cause it to swell. This fluid buildup disrupts the lens structure, leading to cloudiness and vision impairment.
Moreover, high blood sugar increases oxidative stress, which further contributes to cataract progression.
How to lower your risk of cataracts
Modifying your lifestyle to reduce irritant and oxidative exposure is vital for lowering cataract risk and maintaining healthy vision. This includes avoiding drinking too much alcohol, quitting smoking, and implementing eye-supportive dietary changes.
Here are four ways to lower your risk of cataracts.
1. Follow a nutritious low-carb diet
A nutritious low-carb diet such as Healthy Keto® supports balanced blood sugar levels, which is crucial for overall eye health.
Limiting net carbohydrate intake to no more than 20 to 50 grams daily helps maintain normal blood sugar and insulin levels, which may help limit glucose-related sorbitol accumulation within the eyes that can contribute to oxidative damage.
Research published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science reported that individuals with low carbohydrate intake had prolonged eye lens function compared to those following high-carb diets.3
In addition, Healthy Keto focuses on minimally processed whole foods, such as 100 percent grass-fed meat, pasture-raised eggs, and wild-caught fish, offering a wide range of healthy fats, including omega-3 fatty acids that support cell membranes and overall eye health.
“Omega-3 fats such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are crucial for supporting the integrity of neuronal and retinal cell membranes, while also helping to maintain an inflammatory balance that supports normal eye function,” explains Dr. Berg.
2. Increase antioxidant-rich foods
Antioxidants play a crucial role in supporting the long-term health of eye tissues.
Therefore, it’s crucial to incorporate a wide range of nutritious foods rich in various antioxidants into your diet to help strengthen your body’s natural defenses against oxidative stress and maintain optimal cellular function.
Some of the best dietary sources of antioxidants include:
- Green leafy vegetables
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Egg yolks
- Berries
- Nuts
- Dark chocolate
- Avocado
- Bell peppers
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Green tea
- 100 percent grass-fed beef
The Healthy Keto diet not only limits carbohydrate intake but also focuses on nutritious and antioxidant-rich foods, making it an excellent dietary strategy to support eye health.
3. Practice intermittent fasting
Research published in Frontiers in Medicine suggests that intermittent fasting may influence factors linked to eye health by supporting balanced metabolism and circulation.4
Periods of fasting can encourage steadier blood sugar levels, which helps maintain a stable environment for delicate tissues such as the lens and retina.
In addition, cycling between eating and fasting has been associated with the body’s natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory defenses, which play a role in maintaining healthy vision.
4. Focus on vision-promoting nutrients
In addition to eating foods rich in antioxidants, ensuring optimal intake of important nutrients for eye health is essential to maintaining healthy vision.
Vitamins C and E, found in foods such as raw sauerkraut, nuts, and seeds, play a crucial role in protecting the eyes from oxidative stress and supporting the health and clarity of the lens.
In addition, vitamin A, abundantly found in grass-fed organ meats, is critical for eye function as it supports the production of rhodopsin (a protein essential for low-light vision) and helps maintain the health of the cornea and other eye tissues.
Zinc is a trace mineral needed for producing melanin, the pigment that helps protect the retina from UV damage and oxidative damage. Increasing your intake of zinc-rich foods such as oysters and other shellfish, along with grass-fed meats, may help support long-term eye integrity.
Furthermore, selenium is a vital mineral found in Brazil nuts that can help support the function of glutathione peroxidase, a critical enzyme that provides antioxidant support crucial for maintaining inflammatory balance and normal vision.
This highlights the importance of following a nutrient-rich diet such as Healthy Keto rich in minimally processed, whole foods, to help promote long-term eye health.
Key takeaways
- Cataracts develop when oxidative stress and protein damage cause the lens to lose clarity and flexibility.
- A low-carb diet such as Healthy Keto®, combined with intermittent fasting, can help support balanced blood sugar and the body’s natural resilience to oxidative stress linked to cataract progression.
- Nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and E, as well as zinc, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids, promote antioxidant protection and help maintain lens integrity.
- Avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol intake, and protecting against excessive UV exposure can further support long-term eye health and visual function.
FAQ
1. How can you lower your risk of cataracts naturally?
Limiting carbohydrate intake by following a nutritious low-carb diet, such as Healthy Keto®, rich in eye-health-promoting nutrients, is an excellent strategy to promote healthy vision and may help lower the risk of cataracts.
Furthermore, avoiding alcohol consumption, tobacco smoke, excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight, and blue light from digital devices is also essential to help minimize oxidative stress linked to poor eye health and cataracts.
2. What is the biggest cause of cataracts
One of the biggest causes of cataracts is oxidative stress, typically caused by age, lifestyle, and chronically elevated blood sugar due to a high-carb diet. Elevated blood sugar levels can lead to sorbitol accumulation in the lens, resulting in inflammation, oxidative damage, and lens clouding.
3. What vitamins help reduce the risk of cataracts?
Increasing your dietary intake of essential vitamins A, C, D, and E, as well as minerals like zinc, is crucial for supporting lens clarity and overall eye health.
These nutrients can be found in various foods, including grass-fed beef, organ meats, pasture-raised eggs, wild-caught fatty fish, organic non-starchy vegetables, sauerkraut, and nuts and seeds, and promote eye health through their antioxidant and tissue support.
4. At what age do cataracts start?
Age-related cataracts typically begin to develop around the age of 40. However, noticeable symptoms, such as blurred vision or glare, usually appear after the age of 60 as the lens gradually becomes more clouded over time.
5. Are there any natural remedies for cataracts?
While there isn’t a conventionally accepted cure for cataracts other than invasive eye surgery, certain lifestyle habits and nutrient-rich foods may help support long-term eye health.
Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from excessive UV light. Avoid smoking, alcohol, and refined sugars. Instead, prioritize a nutritious, whole-food, low-carb diet, such as Healthy Keto, to help promote lens clarity and support normal vision.
