Diet and ideal food pyramid to prevent or support the treatment of diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and cataracts

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09

Diet and ideal food pyramid to prevent or support the treatment of diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and cataracts

Rondanelli et al., 2023 | Front Med (Lausanne) | Systematic Review

Citation

Rondanelli Mariangela, Gasparri Clara, ... Perna Simone. Diet and ideal food pyramid to prevent or support the treatment of diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and cataracts. Front Med (Lausanne). 2023;10:1168560. doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1168560

Abstract

Many eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and cataracts are preventable and treatable with lifestyle. The objective of this review is to assess the most recent research on the ideal dietary approach to prevent or support the treatment of DR, AMD, and cataracts, as well as to construct a food pyramid that makes it simple for people who are at risk of developing these pathologies to decide what to eat. The food pyramid presented here proposes what should be consumed every day: 3 portions of low glycemic index (GI) grains (for fiber and zinc content), 5 portions (each portion: ≥200 g/day) of fruits and vegetables (spinach, broccoli, zucchini cooked, green leafy vegetables, orange, kiwi, grapefruit for folic acid, vitamin C, and lutein/zeaxanthin content, at least ≥42 μg/day, are to be preferred), extra virgin olive (EVO) oil (almost 20 mg/day for vitamin E and polyphenols content), nuts or oil seeds (20-30 g/day, for zinc content, at least ≥15.8 mg/day); weekly: fish (4 portions, for omega-3 content and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) 0.35-1.4 g/day), white meat (3 portions for vitamin B12 content), legumes (2 portions for vegetal proteins), eggs (2 portions for lutein/zeaxanthin content), light cheeses (2 portions for vitamin B6 content), and almost 3-4 times/week microgreen and spices (saffron and curcumin). At the top of the pyramid, there are two pennants: one green, which indicates the need for personalized supplementation (if daily requirements cannot be met through diet, omega-3, and L-methylfolate supplementation), and one red, which indicates that certain foods are prohibited (salt and sugar). Finally, 3-4 times per week, 30-40 min of aerobic and resistance exercises are required.

Key Findings

Finally, 3-4 times per week, 30-40 min of aerobic and resistance exercises are required.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • No MeSH terms indexed

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Systematic Review
  • Publication Types: Systematic Review, Journal Article
  • Vertical: omega-3

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09