Conservation of fossil fuel, reduced methane emissions, less water waste – now saving your eyesight can be added to the list of reasons to give up red meat.

Researchers at the Centre for Eye Research, part of the University of Melbourne Department of Ophthalmology in Australia, say they’ve found a link between age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss, and the frequent consumption of red meat.

Their study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that people who ate red meat 10 times a week (compared to those who ate red meat five times a week) were nearly 50 percent more likely to develop AMD in old age.

Between 1990 and 1994 Dr. Elaine Chong and her colleagues followed 6,734 people between the ages of 58 and 69 who were living in Melbourne, Australia. When the study ended, between 2003 and 2006, the researchers did retina exams to evaluate signs of AMD. The results yielded 1,680 cases of early AMD and 77 cases of late AMD.

A news flash for those of you who just can’t give up meat: the study also yielded that those who ate chicken at least three times a week were 50 per cent less likely to develop AMD.

Image: tibchris