June 9, 2006
 
HEALTH: Study: Promoting Eye and Hand Care
 
By Lee Bowman
Scripps Howard News Service
 
We try to eat healthy for the sake of our hearts, our bones, etc. Now a new study suggests that how we eat may also influence our risk for developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
 
It appears that the quality of carbohydrates consumed over time makes a difference in the odds of developing the disease that affects central vision. The problem is caused by the gradual breakdown of light-sensitive cells in the region of the retina called the macula. It's estimated that nearly 2 million Americans aged 40 and older have some degree of AMD.
 
A team led by Allen Taylor, who directs research on nutrition and vision at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, found that women who ate a diet rich in "high-glycemic index" foods, or carbs that are converted more rapidly to blood sugar, are at higher risk than women eating mainly "low-glycemic-index" foods.
 
So, a diet heavy on white bread and french fries is considered "high-glycemic," while one getting carbs from foods like lentils and yams is considered "low-glycemic."
 
The scientists looked at a subgroup of the long-term Nurses Health Study at Harvard, focusing on vision and nutrition. More than 500 women from the study, ages 53 to 73, underwent eye exams that looked for early signs of AMD. Researchers also scrutinized participants' diets, based on surveys the women had completed periodically over the previous 10 years.
 
"The likelihood of having abnormalities characteristic of AMD during the eye exams more than doubled for women who consumed diets with the highest glycemic index, regardless of other factors known or suspected to increase the risk of AMD, such as age, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking and obesity," Taylor said.
 
Taylor said his team is studying the role of blood sugar in age-related diseases like AMD "because evidence suggests that problems with glucose metabolism, as in diabetes, may cause damaging byproducts to accumulate in sensitive tissues and contribute to disease."
 
The research, published in the April issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is just a small, first-time look at the possible link, Taylor cautions. He said it's possible that the high-glycemic diet is just a marker for an overall diet and lifestyle pattern that increases AMD risk, rather than a direct cause.
 
* * *
 
Moving on to the hands . . .
 
The American Society of Hand Therapists is trying to educate people about some everyday threats to hands, wrists and arms.
 
"Our multitasking lifestyle can really take a toll," said Christine Muhleman, president of the society. "Most common injuries are caused by rushing around and trying to do too much too fast. We take our hands for granted until we sustain an injury and can't use our hands normally to lift a cup of coffee or perform other daily activities that should be simple tasks."
 
On the top five list of everyday hand and arm dangers:
 
* Carrying heavy groceries. Avoid the little hand baskets -- use a cart. Be careful with draping fingers or wrists with the handles of several plastic grocery bags. They can wrench joints or cut off circulation. And be wary of picking up gallon jugs or other big objects with handles one-handed, much less with just one or two fingers.
 
* Bagel slicing. Aside from knife perils, this can also cause ligament and tendon damage if done improperly, and hacking at frozen bagels is especially a no-no.
 
* Dishwashing. "We see people every day who put knives and sharp tools in soapy water and then search blindly for them," said therapist Paige Kurtz, vice president of the society. Also, sticking a hand down in a glass in an attempt to wash the bottom can cause cuts to tendons on top of the knuckles or do worse if the glass shatters.
 
* Pinching pages. Continuously holding a book in one hand, with just a couple of fingers on the spine, can lead to finger and thumb strain and stiffness.
 
* Minor cuts and pricks. Paper cuts, sewing-needle sticks and garden thorns can cause wounds that could get infected and become a major problem if not cared for. Most such injuries will be fine if washed with soap and treated with a first-aid antibiotic ointment. But if an area around a minor wound becomes hot, enlarged or very red, seek professional medical help.
 
On the Net: http://www.ajcn.org
 
www.asht.org
 
Contact Lee Bowman at BowmanL@)SHNS.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com