吃胡蘿卜真的可以幫助保護視力嗎？保護和提高視力的秘密到底是什么？吃保健品或多吃某些食物能有幫助嗎？研究顯示人們可以通過食用含有葉黃素的膳食補充劑來提高視力。葉黃素可以保護視網膜免受有害光線的損傷。本期《隨身英語》介紹對人眼和視力有益的食物。

課文內容

Do carrots really help you see in the dark? What about kiwis or kale? Can eating certain foods improve your eyesight or prevent your eyes degenerating? Perhaps we should all be taking supplements to benefit our vision? Research in both the US and Ireland has shown that supplementing the diet with certain key chemicals can significantly benefit your vision. These can be taken as supplements but they are also found widely in many green leafy plants and green and yellow fruit and vegetables.

The retina is the part of our eye that contains cells sensitive to light. The most delicate area of this tissue – the macula – is protected from harmful blue and UV light by yellowish ‘macular pigment’. This acts like sunglasses, blocking the damaging light. It comprises three pigments – lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin.

A research team led by Professor Nolan in Ireland has recently completed a year-long trial investigating the benefits of taking supplements of macular pigments. 100 participants took part in the experiments. The results showed that by taking lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin, there was a significant improvement in the protection of the macula, as well as in overall eyesight. There was also some evidence that these chemicals can help to slow down macular degeneration, which is the main cause of sight loss in the UK. However, this is somewhat controversial.

Lutein is a yellow compound found only in plants, which produce it to absorb light. We can get lutein by eating foods like kale and spinach. It is also present in egg yolk. Zeaxanthin, another yellow compound similar to lutein, is found in such foods as corn, yellow bell peppers and saffron. Meso-zeaxanthin is not generally found in food sources, though it can be found in some fish. It is created in the retina from ingested lutein. It can be taken in supplements made with marigold extracts.

As for carrots, it turns out that it’s the leafy green bits on the top that contain the key compounds beneficial to eyesight, rather than the vegetable itself. So next time you’re told carrots help you see in the dark, save them for the rabbit and chop up some kiwi instead!

詞匯表

kale （蔬菜）羽衣甘藍
to degenerate 下降，衰退
supplement 補充物，補充片劑
chemical 化學品
vision 視力
retina 視網膜
tissue 組織
macula 視網膜黃斑
pigment 色素
lutein 葉黃素
zeaxanthin 玉米黃素
meso-zeaxanthin 消旋玉米黃素
sight loss 失明
compound 化合物
saffron 藏紅花
to ingest 攝取
marigold extract 萬壽菊提取物

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。 

1. True or false? Eating yellow and green vegetables can be harmful to your eyesight. 

2. What is the macula? 

3. How does macular pigment protect the macula?

4. Name two food sources of lutein.        

5.  Why does the writer of the article conclude that there isn’t much point eating carrots if you want to see in the dark? 

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處 。

1. The retina in the eye contains cells that are _________ to light.

sensible            sensitive            sensuous               sensational

2. She knew that his eyesight had seriously begun to _________ when she couldn’t read the label on the packet.

generate          decompose         degenerate       disintegrate

3. The five-week course of dietary supplements led to _________ improvement in the participants’ vision.

beneficial            large               big                  significant

4. A healthy balanced meal consists _________ plenty of vegetables, some protein and a little carbohydrate.

 in          of       with        on       

5. It’s an old wives' tale that carrots help _________ in the dark!

you to see       you seeing         to see you         you to seeing

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. True or false? Eating yellow and green vegetables can be harmful to your eyesight.
False. Some yellow and green vegetables contain chemicals that are beneficial to eyesight.     

2. What is the macula? 
It’s the delicate part of the retina in the eye.   

3. How does macular pigment protect the macula?
It blocks the damaging blue and UV light.

4. Name two food sources of lutein.
Two from: kale, spinach, egg yolks                  

5. Why does the writer of the article conclude that there isn’t much point eating carrots if you want to see in the dark?  
Because it’s the leafy green part on top of the vegetable that contains the compounds beneficial to eyesight, and not the vegetable itself.

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處 。

1. The retina in the eye contains cells that are sensitive to light.

2. She knew that his eyesight had seriously begun to degenerate when she couldn’t read the label on the packet.

3. The five-week course of dietary supplements led to significant improvement in the participants’ vision.

4. A healthy balanced meal consists of plenty of vegetables, some protein and a little carbohydrate.

5. It’s an old wives' tale that carrots help you to see in the dark!