title: Nutrition for diabetic retinopathy: plummeting the inevitable threat of diabetic vision loss.
abstract: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is among the leading causes of preventable blindness. Hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and anemia majorly predispose its pathogenesis. The current treatment modalities of DR include laser photocoagulation therapy, intravitreal corticosteroids, intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents and vitreo-retinal surgery which are costly, highly invasive, unproven for prolonged use and opted in advanced stages of DR. By then retina already encounters a vast damage. Nutrients by their natural physiological, biochemical and molecular action can preserve retinal structure and functions by interfering with the various pathological steps prompting DR incidence, thereby altering the risk of developing this ocular morbidity. Nutrients can also play a central role in DR patients resistant towards the conventional medical treatments. However due to the byzantine interplay existing between nutrients and DR, the worth of nutrition in curbing this vision-threatening ocular morbidity remains silent. This review highlights how nutrients can halt DR development. A nutritional therapy, if adopted in the initial stages, can provide superior-efficacy over the current treatment modalities and can be a complementary, inexpensive, readily available, anodyne option to the clinically unmet requirement for preventing DR. Assessment of nutritional status is presently considered relevant in various clinical conditions except DR. Body Mass Index (BMI) conferred inconclusive results in DR subjects. Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) of nutritional status has recently furnished relevant association with DR status. By integrating nutritional strategies, the risk of developing DR can be reduced substantially. This review summarizes the subsisting knowledge on nutrition, potentially beneficial for preventing DR and sustaining good vision among diabetic subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, King George Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226003, India.
authors.forename: Yashodhara
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, King George Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226003, India. sandeepsaxena2020@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saxena
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, King George Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Arvind
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saxena
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, King George Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Shankar Madhav
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Natu
mesh_terms: D000449:Aldehyde Reductase / Q000378:metabolism; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000150:complications; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000150:complications; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000150:complications; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005419:Flavonoids; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced; D018977:Micronutrients; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D002338:Carotenoids; D000449:Aldehyde Reductase; D011493:Protein Kinase C
keywords: Body Mass Index; Diabetic retinopathy; Nutrients; Nutritional status; Subjective Global Assessment