Home
Background
What is Macular Degeneration
What happens to Vision
Test your Vision
Research
How to Reduce Risks
Links
Contact Information
Survey
|
Reply from the PMs Office
The Food Standards
Agency has produced guidelines for UK institutions and guidance on food served
to adults including older people. The guidelines state that fruit and vegetables
should make up about one third of the daily diet and specifically advise
that the aim should be to provide one or two portions of vegetables with
each meal and, in addition, fruit for snacks, to make up at least five portions
a day.
The Department of Health recommends that older people follow a nutritious
and balanced diet to maintain good health. For example, fruit and vegetables
contain carotenoids, including lutein and zeoxanthin, which have anti-oxidant
properties and can help to prevent age-related macular degeneration.
Furthermore, the Caroline Walker Trust's guidelines Eating well for Older
people - practical and nutritional guidelines for food in residential and
nursing homes and for community meals, which discuss the recommended intake
of fruit and vegetables for older people, are referred to in the national
minimum standards for care homes.
With regard to the provision of dietary supplements, the Advisory Committee
on Borderline Substances (ACBS) was set up to advise GPs on the prescription
of borderline substances on the NHS. Nutritional products form a high proportion
of the ACBS's workload and its recommendations are set out in Part XV of
the Drug Tariff. However, it is essentially up to GPs to prescribe products
they consider clinically appropriate for their patients' needs.
|
This
does raise the question : Can those individuals who are at risk
(perhaps with low Macular Pigment levels or early stage ARMD) ask their GP for Lutein supplementation on
the NHS.
Watch this space for more information
|
