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1. Cataracts: Cataracts are the leading cause of impaired vision and blindness in the United States. Approximately 4 million people have some degree of vision-impairing cataract, and at least 40,000 people in the United States are blind due to cataracts. Cataracts are a source of a tremendous financial burden on our society; cataract surgery is the most common major surgical procedure done in the United States each year (600,000 per annum) for persons on Medicare, at a cost of over $4 billion.
Bilberry anthocyanosides may offer significant protection against the development of cataracts. The occurrence of cataracts in rats can be retarded by changing their diet from a commercial lab chow to a "well-defined diet." Preliminary research suggests that flavonoid components in the well-defined diets may be responsible for the protective effects. In one human study, bilberry extract plus vitamin E stopped progression of cataract formation in 97% of fifty patients with senile cortical cataracts.
2. Diabetes mellitus: Although bilberry may lower blood glucose levels, the most important benefits of the use of anthocyanosides in the treatment of diabetes relate to their ability to improve diabetic retinopathy, collagen integrity, and capillary permeability. Bilberry anthocyanoside extracts are widely used in Europe in the prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy. Bilberry anthocyanosides also exert a protective effect on capillary fragility in diabetics and reduce serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in primary dyslipidemia.
Although studies in rabbits have not confirmed a cholesterol-lowering effect, anthocyanosides did decrease significantly the development of atherosclerotic plaque. Presumably, this is a result of increasing collagen cross-linking, thus diminishing the permeability in small, as well as large, blood vessels.
3. Vascular disorders: Clinical studies have demonstrated the positive effect of bilberry extract in the treatment of capillary fragility, blood purpuras, various circulation disturbances of the brain (similar to Ginkgo biloba), venous insufficiency, varicose veins, and microscopic blood loss in the urine caused by kidney capillary fragility.
4. Capillary fragility: In one human study, following oral administration of anthocyanosides, patients with varicose veins and ulcerative dermatitis experienced a substantial drop in capillary leakage. Anthocyanosides were found to protect altered capillary walls by increasing the endothelium barrier effect through stabilization of membrane phospholipids, and through restoration of the altered sheath of connective tissue surrounding the blood vessels.
Bilberry's reduction of microscopic blood loss in the urine caused by kidney capillary fragility may reflect its tissue distribution. Absorption and distribution studies in rats have demonstrated the affinity of bilberry anthocyanosides for the kidneys. Anthocyanosides reflect the high concentration of collagen and mucopolysaccharides in the kidneys along with the fact that these flavonoid compounds are excreted via the kidneys.