The risk of cataracts, may be reduced by long-term use of a daily multivitamin, recent study findings suggest.

• Researchers examined data from more than 3,000 people aged 43 to 86 years.

• Individuals who took a multivitamin or a supplement that contained vitamin C or E for more than 10 years had a 60% lower risk of developing a cataract regardless of other risk factors.

• Taking the multivitamins or supplements for less than 10 years did not appear to lower the risk.

People who took vitamin pills tended to be:

• Female

• Physically active

• Lower body weights

• Higher consumption of fruits and vegetables

This evidence of cataract protection is even more important because as the ranks of elderly Americans continues to swell, the incidence of cataracts is expected to triple in the next half century, the researchers report.

"There is evidence that certain dietary components, such as vitamins and minerals involved in protection against oxidative stress, may have a role in slowing cataract development," the study authors write.

Archives of Ophthalmology November, 2000;118:1556-1563