Foods Rich in Carotenoids Can Prevent Visual and Cognitive Loss, New Research Suggests

A better diet rich in pigmented carotenoids, such as those found in yams, kale, spinach, watermelon, bell peppers, tomatoes, oranges, and carrots, is now suggested by recent research from the University of Georgia as a way to reduce greater incidences of sickness.

These colorful produce items are crucial in minimizing cognitive and visual decline.

Eating High Carotenoid Foods can Decrease the Risk of Visual and Cognitive Loss

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According to Billy R. Hammond, a professor in the psychology behavioral and brain sciences program at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia and a co-author of the study, the idea is that men get a lot of the diseases that tend to have high fatality rates, but women get those diseases less often but with debilitating illnesses.

Two-thirds of all cases of macular degeneration and dementia around the globe, for instance, are in female patients, as per ScienceDaily

These conditions, which affect women for a long time, are also the ones that a healthy lifestyle can prevent.

The way women retain vitamins and minerals in their bodies is one of the factors contributing to this sensitivity.

Women often have more body fat than males, according to Hammond. Many dietary vitamins and minerals are significantly sunk by body fat, which provides pregnant women with a helpful reservoir.

But because there is less available for the retina and the brain, women are more likely to experience degenerative issues.

Pigmented carotenoids in the human diet serve as antioxidants.

Lutein and zeaxanthin, two distinct carotenoids found in particular tissues of the eye and brain, have been demonstrated to directly ameliorate central nervous system degeneration.

Supplements containing carotenoids are also available, and the National Institutes of Health's National Eye Institute program has concentrated resources on certain carotenoids.

Additionally, Hammond said that ingesting lutein and zeaxanthin through food is a far superior method to using pills to increase intake.

Also Read: Who Lives the Longest in the World? Japanese Women, Research Says

Why Do Women Live Longer than Men?

Although it has long been known that women often live longer than males, experts have attributed this tendency to variations in lifestyle for many years.

However, as Clare Ansberry reported for the Wall Street Journal, researchers in the newly growing subject of "geroscience," or the study of aging, are already uncovering some of the genetic and molecular causes of the longevity divide, as per Advisory Board.

Ansberry asserted that it is a well-known fact that women typically outlast males.

Men's life expectancy was 76.1 years as of 2017, while women's life expectancy was 81.1 years.

Additionally, according to studies, the longevity disparity will persist.

As stated by the U.S. Census Bureau, women's life expectancy will increase to 87.3 years by 2060 from 83.9 years for men.

However, Marcia Stefanick, a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, said researchers are still sort of guessing how and why women live longer than males.

Behavioral factors may make up some of the elements, according to Ansberry.

Women are more likely than males to visit a doctor when they are ill, according to certain studies.

And 85-year-old psychologist Katharine Esty discovered that older women tend to put in more effort to maintain their health, whereas men will still eat steak and order French fries in her book "Eightysomethings," which was based on interviews with 128 people in their eighties.

Ansberry further asserted that a person's response to a diagnosis of Covid-19, the illness brought on by the novel coronavirus, may also depend on their sexual orientation.

For instance, a recent study discovered that women do not lose the same amount of antibody-producing B cells as males do after the age of 65.

The researchers also discovered that men's blood inflammation increased with age, which is a characteristic of severe Covid-19 instances.

Related Article: How Stress Affects Women Differently Than Men