Heavy intake of alcoholic beverages increases risk of cataracts – whereas moderate consumption may decrease it

A meta-analysis demonstrated that heavy drinking is a risk factor for age-related cataract whereas moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages appears to be protective.

Age-related cataract is the leading cause of visual impairment worldwide. To evaluate the association between different amounts of alcoholic beverages and the risk of cataract, Chinese researchers performed a meta-analysis of five case-control and five cohort studies.

The results of these 10 studies indicated that heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages significantly increased the risk of age-related cataract, whereas a moderate intake may be protective for this ocular condition.

Gong Y, Feng K, Yan N, Xu Y, Pan CW. Different Amounts of Alcohol Consumption and Cataract: A Meta-analysisA meta-analysis is a method of summarizing the results of the same research purpose and comprehensiv.... Optom Vis Sci. 2015 Mar 17. [Epub ahead of print]

For more information about this article, read the scientific abstract here.