Now there's even more reason for your patients to increase their orange juice intake.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology finds that vitamin C may provide protection against the development of cataracts. The study found that each 1 mg increase in blood vitamin C levels was associated with 26% lower prevalence of reporting a cataract.

Joel Simon, M.D., M.P.H., evaluated the relation between serum levels of vitamin C and prevalence of self-reported cataract among 4,001 subjects aged between 60 and 74. He found that higher blood levels of vitamin C were associated with a decreased prevalence of cataract, independent of the effects of other predictors of cataract, such as increasing age, smoking and diabetes.

In the past, studies have shown that as little as 250 mg a day of vitamin C to be effective in delaying cataract formation; even though, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states the average intake of vitamin C is 100 mg per day. Dr. Simon says, "Our findings, together with the results from some previous studies, suggest that vitamin C may substantially reduce the risk of age-related lens opacities."