A Link Between Diet and Myopia?

lxmeister writes: "This article from New Scientist suggests that the refined starches in western food such as white bread and cereals may be the cause of an increased level of short-sightedness. Myopia now affects 30 percent of people of European descent. So brown bread is better after all!"

Comments

Er, after all?

[Violet Null]

Brown bread has always been known to be better for you. Even considering "enriched" white bread, and I use the term loosely, brown bread contains more nutrients and more fiber than white bread, and has a lower glycemic index to boot.

Brown bread probably isn't better Myopia

[WolfWithoutAClause]

In the past I've checked the Glycemic Index (GI is a measure of how quickly glucose is absorbed from food as regards insulin requirements) for brown bread. Contrary to popular belief, brown bread has almost exactly the same Glycemic Index; ok, its very slightly better, say 98 compared to 100, but this is far too small to make much difference.

Therefore brown bread would be unlikely to improve your sight.

On the other hand brown bread is more nutritious in other regards, so it's still better for you.