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A study identifies a possible way to slow or block progression of age-related macular degeneration. The researchers implicated problems with cholesterol metabolism in this type of vision loss, perhaps helping explain the links between macular degeneration and cardiovascular disease, which both worsen with age. The new findings—identified using human plasma samples and mouse models of macular degeneration—suggest that increasing the amount of a molecule called apolipoprotein M (ApoM) in the blood fixes problems in cholesterol processing that lead to cellular damage in the eyes and other organs. In recent years, evidence has emerged that ApoM can serve as a protective...

Regularly eating a small serving of dried goji berries may help prevent or delay the development of age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in older people, and is estimated to affect more than 11 million in the US and 170 million globally. "AMD affects your central field of vision and can affect your ability to read or recognize faces," said Glenn Yiu, professor. The researchers found that 13 healthy participants aged 45 to 65 who consumed 28 grams (about one ounce, or a handful) of goji berries five times a week for 90...

UNIVERSITY of Sydney researchers could be on to a remedy to fight blindness caused by long-term diabetes. Lead researcher Professor Basil Roufogalis said pharmacy researchers have identified the ancient Tibetan goji berry could help fight diabetic retinopathy. "Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness for people with diabetes, with up to 60 per cent of people living with either type one or type two diabetes developing chronic hyperglycaemia, a condition which can damage retina cells," he said. Prof Roufogalis said the goji berry is abundant in taurine. "We found that goji berry protected against the death of cells caused...