Researchers from the University Eye Clinic in Maastricht, The Netherlands have looked at the role of Lutein in eye health.

Lutein is one of the carotenoids – it is a yellow and orange pigment found in many fruits and vegetables such as carrots, mangoes, corn, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and dark leafy greens such as kale and bok choy.  Interestingly, lutein tends to make up a minor part of our diets here in the UK.

It has been suggested for some time that Lutein protects the eyes against macular degeneration and cataracts.

Lutein, together with another anti-oxidant, zeaxanthin, forms the macular pigment (and thus protects us from glare and bright lights).

The research showed that animals that did not have an intake of lutein displayed early signs of degeneration of the retina.

Of equal interest to us Birdshotters is the recent findings that lutein can affect immune responses and reduce inflammation.

We are not suggesting that every Birdshotter rushes out to buy lutein – remember that every supplement can affect our body negatively as well as positively, and can inter-act with our medication regimes – so it is always best to check with your consultant.  However, this piece of research looks very promising, and is a really good reminder that we need a balanced, healthy diet.

The full article can be found at:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22465791

Scientists from Charite – Universitatsmedizin Berlin and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Switzerland have looked at the micro organisms we all carry around and found that, whilst some microorganisms can activate immune cells (leading to certain auto-immune diseases), other microorganisms can help develop an anti-inflammatory response.

They found that one of our body’s own immune system hormones called interleukin 1b works like a ‘switch’ – if it is present, it trains immune cells to become destructive (a dis-regulated immune system) whereas, if it is absent the immune cell develops into an anti-inflammatory counterpart.  It is the microorganism balance we carry in our bodies that determines whether interleukin 1b is produced or not.

This is really interesting – to my mind, it begins to explain why pro biotics have become so popular, and why something like food poisoning (which changes the balance of your micro organisms) might be a ‘trigger’ for autoimmune diseases.

The full article can be found in ScienceDaily at:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120405075223.htm

With more Birdshotters registering on BUS, we are beginning to develop a better picture of Birdshot.  One of the interesting questions that keeps arising is whether certain geographical areas have more people with Birdshot.

At our Birdshot Day on 3 March, we were quite amazed to find two people with Birdshot from a very small town.  They were equally amazed!  We have also noticed that there are several members who live within a few miles of each other in an urban area and another ‘cluster’ in a northern city – again quite disproportionate to the probable total numbers of people with Birdshot in the UK.

We would really like to build up a more accurate picture of the geographical spread and we can only do this with your help.

We would love to have your postcode (if you have not already supplied us with it) so we can map where you live, and produce a more accurate map of the geographical location of us Birdshotters.  Your postcode will be kept totally confidential – it will only be used to help us identify your geographical location on a map.  Once we have mapped the UK, we will attempt to map other countries too, and begin to build up an international picture.

Please send your postcode to us at info@birdshot.org.uk

We thought you would be interested in seeing the google analytics map of the UK of visitors to the BUS website since September 2010. Of course, not all visits are from Birdshotters, but it certainly identifies areas where the strongest interest is.

Thank you in advance to everybody who sends us their postcode, so we can produce a realistic map of the UK to show geographical locations of people with Birdshot.  This will help to make sure research and services are targeted to meet our needs.