Do you have nearsightedness? You will have to eat less bread

2002/04/08 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Dietetika/Elikagaiak

Research that links high insulin concentrations to myopia has just been published. They say that eating a lot of refined starch influences the development of the eye. The high level of insulin in the blood makes the eyeball not develop properly. This abnormal development causes the balloon to lengthen too much and myopia appears.

In the last 200 years, myopia has increased significantly in developed countries and in many developing countries there has been spectacular growth. So far, the extent of myopia has been considered as a consequence of reading and compulsory schooling of children. However, some data confirming the new theory have been evident. For example, in the Vanuatu islands all children go to school, but those with myopia are only 2%. The explanation is found in the diet, because instead of bread and cereals, fish, yam and coconut predominate in the diet of this people.

We can also understand the increase in cases of myopia in other countries. For example, 50% of the Inuit population and many Pacific islands currently suffer from myopia. A century ago, only 1% of these populations suffered from this disease.