Some foods are noted to be “great for vision” – for example, carrots, mangos, etc.
What does “great for vision” even mean? I wear glasses and am under the assumption that my poor eyesight isn’t going to magically slightly improve by downing foods rich in certain vitamins and minerals.
In: Biology
> Some foods are noted to be “great for vision” – for example, carrots,
That is an interesting food myth right there. During World War 2 a new technology for detecting aircraft through the use of reflected radio waves was developed, called “radar” short for “radio detecting and ranging”. This radar technology allowed the British to detect incoming bombers enough in advance for fighter interceptors to take off and be waiting for them, and later even to allow bombers to be located at night to be shot down. The technology was kept extremely secret though so a cover story was invented for why the British pilots were somehow so adept at spotting unlit bombers in the pitch black of the night sky.
One such cover story was that the British pilots were having their night vision augmented by eating large quantities of carrots. This lie became part of “common knowledge” and so even today you hear people saying that carrots are particularly good for vision!
Not having enough vitamin A can in fact result in deterioration of vision, but having an excess of vitamin A isn’t going to give you super-vision. Mango like carrots has a lot of vitamin A, but as explained above the idea that normal vision can be improved by consuming them is the fallout of World War 2 propaganda.
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