Enjoy Corn Thins™ to Optimise Your Eye Health

Posted October 2020
2020-11
Baked sweet potato, mint, pomegranate, pepita & feta on CORN THINS slices

 

The more well-known health benefits of including whole grains in your diet include promoting a healthy weight, reduced risk of type two diabetes, heart disease and cancers like colorectal and oesophageal cancers. Have you ever considered the role whole grains play in reducing your risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)?

A study by Tufts University Health and Nutrition found that including slowly digested starches like whole grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts prevented development of AMD in mice when compared to mice fed grains which were quickly digested. While mice cannot be said to be the same as humans this type of research is a grounding to progress to more studies and human based trials.

There have been observational studies suggesting following a diet with slower digesting starches reduces your risk of age-related macular degeneration. Good news is that more research is being conducted showing that making a change can still reduce your chances of this degeneration.

The mechanisms found was that these slowly digested starches raise your blood sugar more slowly and consequently have a low glycaemic index. Secondly, the effects on the gut may also play a key role as the mice which were fed rapidly digested starches had different short chain fatty acids of messages produced by the gut microbes in comparison to the mice fed slower digested starches.

Thirdly the mice which were fed the rapidly digested starches had more harmful advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). These are end products in the breakdown of sugar and can damage the fats and proteins that your cells need to function properly. Damaged protein can build up in your eye and are a factor which increases your risk of AMD. Whole grain contain products like Corn Thins™ slices are less likely to contribute to the build up of AGEs than refined grains.

Take home message: There are some factors in your risk for developing AMD you cannot change like genetics. The good news is your diet is one factor you can control. Try adding 3 servings of whole grains to your day to optimise your health in many ways from your gut health to your eye health. A serve is 35g of Corn Thins™ product or 6 cakes, 1 slice or 40g of whole grain bread, ¼-1/2 cup of cooked brown rice, quinoa, whole grain pasta or couscous. There are plenty of options to enjoy!

  • Article By:
    • Ashleigh Felth…