A new research has revealed that the consumption of food items that contain high levels of vitamin C can be instrumental in decelerating the development of cataracts, an eye problem that can result in blindness. A group of researchers at the Kings College in London carried out the study under the leadership of an ophthalmologist, Professor Chris Hammond. The research involved understanding the impact of diet and lifestyle as well as genetics on the development of cataract with advancement in age.

During the research, the team tracked 324 of the 1,000 female British twins enlisted in the Twins UK registry after 10 years. The participants had to answer questions associated with their intake of nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, copper, manganese and zinc. Furthermore, the images of the participants’ lenses were investigated through digital imaging.

It was discovered that participants eating foods with high vitamin C levels had 20% less chances of developing cataract. The 324 pairs of twins that were tracked for 10 years had high intake of fruits and vegetables, and were found be at 33% less risk of development of cataract. “While we cannot avoid getting older, diabetes and smoking are also risk factors for this type of cataract, and so a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle generally should reduce the risk of needing a cataract operation,” said Hammond.

The research was also associated with determining the relation between genetics and environment with the development of cataract. It was found that environmental aspects such as lifestyle and diet were responsible for 65% of variation in the cataract progression among the participants. Meanwhile, only 35% of variation was accounted for by genetics. According to the co-author of the study, Kate Yonova-Doing, vitamin C cannot be produced by the human body and therefore vitamins present in the food are what we depend on for vitamin C.