title: Dietary sugar and salt represent real risk factors for cataract development.
abstract: Dietary sugar and salt represent etiological risk factors of human cataract. To verify etiological data on the basis of histological findings, 9 pigs with a body weight of 40 kg, 3 months of age, in groups of 3 were continuously fed with 5% of refined dietary sugar (sucrose - C(12)H(22)O(11)), 0.5% of salt (NaCl) and a sugar-salt mixture (2.5 + 0.25% accordingly) in their crude (unboiled) meal food during 3 months, which resulted in minor cataractous changes in the lens. In the second experiment, 10 weight- and age-matched animals were fed a chronic sugar and intermittent salt diet during 6 months; the other 10 animals served as controls. During the second experiment, crystallin leakage into the aqueous humor of the lens was detected, and a marked swelling of the lens fibers and fiber tips was noticed, indicating that excessive amounts of dietary sugar and salt are risk factors for the development of cataract in normal (nondiabetic) animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology and Genetics, Institute of General and Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Estonia. veromann@med.ut.ee
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Veromann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sünter
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tasa
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Juronen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panov
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pastak
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaljurand
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism; D002386:Cataract / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003459:Crystallins / Q000378:metabolism; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D003459:Crystallins; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary