Should You Follow Mom’s Nutrition Tips?

“Carrots Improve Your Eyesight”

Keith Ayoob, Ed.D., registered dietitian and an associate professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York City: There’s a load of vitamin A in carrots, and a deficiency can cause blindness. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in this country. Vitamin A is pretty easy to get from all fruits and vegetables, at least enough to keep your eyes functioning well.

Blatner: That’s technically not true. The beta-carotene may decrease your risk of developing glaucoma and macular degeneration [a leading cause of blindness in the elderly] and help with night vision, but it doesn’t help you see better during the day. Don’t expect to ditch your glasses just by eating a lot of carrots.

Gans: If you were deficient in vitamin A, carrots would help make your vision better, but that’s not to say they would make it great. If you have normal levels of vitamin A, eating carrots won’t make a difference.