[E. Pluribus Unum]

I guess I should bank on glasses then :(

Macular degeneration means your retina goes bad.

Glasses don't help.

Actually, there is nothing new here. Macular degeneration has been associated with diabetes for a long time. This article basically says if you OD on sugar you run the risk of diabetes which can cause macular degeneration.

[americanophile]

...joke!

[muawiyah]

It's the insulin, not the sugar. As you digest carbohydrates the liver instructs the special cells in the pancreas to produce more insulin. Presuming we are speaking of Type II, there's a resistance on the part of the body's cells to metabolise the insulin and store the sugar. Consequently you get a buildup of insulin and that damages tiny blood vessels. Enough damage and your organs stop working. If the organ is the eye, you go blind.

[stripes1776]

Macular degeneration has been associated with diabetes for a long time. This article basically says if you OD on sugar you run the risk of diabetes which can cause macular degeneration.

That may be true, but that is not what the article says. As it states, "None of the participants had diabetes." Among the people in the test those found to have macular degeneration did not have diabetes.

The test showed a correlation between certain carbohydrates and macular degeneration. However, as the report also states, "the study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between a high glycemic diet and macular degeneration". There isn't enough data to say carbs cause this disease.

There may be other factors involved. For example, lack of vitamins A (beta carotene), C, E, and the mineral zinc (found in spinach) are also correlated with the development of macular degeneration.