By: Giles Xu
Myopia or nearsightedness is an increasingly prevalent condition in our society. The correlation between myopia and diet was proposed by many scientists. Since this topic is not strongly supported, it does raise questions as to its validity.
Ben (1), blogged about this, supported by facts from 2000s that the cases of myopia is increasing along with people’s changing lifestyle, including high carbohydrate intake: 50% in Canada and almost 90% in China (2). This is consistent with the trend that more people are affected with the ailment in China and cases are on the rise. Claire et al. (3) in France discovered a similar pattern, but they attributed this relationship primarily to women and seemed to have inverse impact on men.
On the other hand, a study (4) in Singapore highlight the disconnect between whole grain foods and myopia. However, there also seems to be some connection between axial lengthening (directly proportional to myopia) and high saturated fat and cholesterol intake. Difference in genetics between populations could account for this variation between studies.
Obviating myopia through diet may be a viable theory to consider. On the other hand, regularly spending times outdoors may be a more reliable measure.
Citations:
Dr. Ben Balzer Snr. Ben Balzer’s Paleolithic Diet Site. https://benbalzer.com/. [Accessed 15th December 2020].
Oxford Martin School. Global Change Data Lab. Daily caloric supply derived from carbohydrates, protein and fat, Canada, 1961 to 2013. Available from: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-caloric-supply-derived-from-carbohydrates-protein-and-fat#:~:text=Daily%20caloric%20supply%20derived%20from,fat%20%2D%20Our%20World%20in%20Data. [Accessed 15th December 2020].
Berticat C, Mamouni S, Ciais A, Villain M, Raymond M, Daien V. Probability of myopia in children with high refined carbohydrates consumption in France. BMC Ophthalmol. 2020 Aug ;20(1):337. doi: 10.1186/s12886-020-01602-x. [Accessed 15th December 2020].
Laurence S. Lim, Gus Gazzard, Yen-Ling Low, Robin Choo, Donald T.H. Tan, Louis Tong, et al. Dietary Factors, Myopia, and Axial Dimensions in Children. Ophthalmology. 2010. Volume 117, Issue 5, Pages 993-997. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2009.10.003. [Accessed 15th December 2020].
Edwards MH. Edwards MH. Do variations in normal nutrition play a role in the development of myopia? Optometry and Vision Science : Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry. 1996 Oct; 73(10): 638-643. DOI: 10.1097/00006324-199610000-00002. [Accessed 15th December 2020].
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