Dual Dove
A case study recently published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine revealed the story of a 17-year-old boy that lost his sight due to years of eating french fries, chips, and other similar products. Now, a new study concluded that, indeed, junk food might cause blindness.
The research was conducted by scientists from Bristol Medical School and the Bristol Eye Hospital in the UK, who reviewed the case study of the teenager. They found out that the boy first went to the hospital at 14 years of age, complaining of fatigue. The doctors revealed that the teen had a healthy BMI and no symptoms related to malnutrition.
At a more in-depth analysis, the doctors found out that the boy suffered from anemia, commonly triggered by the lack of iron or vitamins, especially B12. At 15, the boy came back to the hospital with hearing and vision problems. He revealed to the doctors that he was eating a diet based on french fries, chips, and processed foods.
Junk Food Might Cause Blindness
For brain functions and healthy eyes, the intake of Vitamin B12, B9, and iron are essential for the optimal functioning of the nerves. Tha lack of those nutrients, due to a junk food diet, especially, might trigger nutritional optic neuropathy.
“When you don’t have enough B vitamins supporting the central vision cells of the retina, they die,” said Dr. Briar Sexton, a Vancouver-based neuro-ophthalmologist. He added that nutritional optic neuropathy is not common in North America, and the scientists learned more about the disease thanks to the outbreak in Cuba, back in the 1990s.
“Meat is still our best dietary source of vitamin B12. You also definitely want to make sure you’re getting enough intake of green, leafy vegetables. At-risk populations want to make sure they’re taking a good initiative to speak to their health care practitioners about folate supplementation, B-vitamin supplementation, B12 supplementation, to be proactive,” added Sexton. According to experts, junk food, therefore, might cause blindness when consumed in excess.
