It’s been called the fountain of youth for its anti-aging powers — but resveratrol can do so much more than help you beat the calendar.

It could even save your eyes.

Researchers say resveratrol appears to stop and even reverse the growth of the harmful blood vessels that lead to eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration — the leading cause of blindness in seniors — and diabetic retinopathy, which leads to vision loss in some 20 percent of diabetics and is the top cause of new blindness in middle-aged Americans.

This process is called angiogenesis. When researchers gave resveratrol to a group of mice with the condition, the abnormal blood vessels practically vanished. The researchers believe this could work on humans just as well, according to the study in the American Journal of Pathology.

The research is early, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the benefits of resveratrol today because this remarkable antioxidant may also help reverse the signs of aging, prevent obesity and even help you live longer.

The only problem with resveratrol is getting it.

Despite what you may have heard, it’s not as easy as simply picking out your favorite red wine or serving a pitcher of sangria with dinner. That’s because while the typical glass of red wine has roughly 60 milligrams of antioxidants, it contains just 1 milligram of resveratrol.

That’s it.

If you really want to unlock the powers of resveratrol, turn to a quality supplement, which can contain 100 milligrams or more.

I’m all for healthy moderate drinking — but you’d die of alcohol poisoning if you tried to get that much resveratrol from your wine!

And if you want to lower your risk of eye diseases such as macular degeneration, be sure to enjoy your share of fatty fish — or at least take a good fish oil supplement. Several studies have found that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil can reduce your risk of both wet and dry AMD by between a third and 40 percent.

Since your retina is loaded with the same docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, found in fish oil, that shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Other great nutrients that can help lower your risk of eye diseases include vitamins C and E, copper, zinc, beta- carotene, and the phytonutrients lutein and zeaxanthin.

Then, be sure you enjoy that glass of wine just the same — resveratrol or not, it’s still good for you.

A British optician claims he cured his blindness with marigolds.

I know — this sounds like quackery. But bear with me for a moment, because there’s more to this than a field of golden flowers.

Harry Marsland, 73, was diagnosed with one of the most frightening conditions facing seniors: age-related macular degeneration. He lost the vision in his right eye to the more serious and far less common “wet” version of the condition, and the vision in his left to “dry” AMD.

But after taking a marigold-based supplement, he can not only see through his left eye — he can drive and read, too, according to a report in Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.

And it’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. Marigolds contain meso-zeaxanthin, which has shown some promise when it comes to fighting vision problems. His supplement also contained lutein and zeaxanthin, two key phytonutrients linked to healthy eyes.

But since he had already tried those other ingredients before, he credits his success to the addition of meso- zeaxanthin. Because of his success, the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland is now conducting clinical trials on these supplements. I’ll keep you updated.

If you’re facing AMD, work with your doctor to find the right nutritional supplement for your eyes — because, as this case shows, sometimes it’s just a matter of finding the right blend of missing nutrients.

Of course, the real key to fighting AMD is to win the battle before it even starts by making sure your eyes have all the nutrients they need to stay healthy now.

You’ve probably heard that carrots are great for your eyes – and they are rich in beta-carotene, which you certainly need. But to really lower your risk for vision problems, you’re going to have to go far beyond Bugs Bunny’s favorite snack.

One recent study found diets rich in vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids can significantly lower your risk for age-related macular degeneration. That means eating more leafy greens, nuts, beans, fruit, eggs and especially fatty fish. Add a supplement if you have a hard time getting any of these nutrients from your food.

Other studies have found that — in addition to the nutrients I just mentioned — you should also make sure you’re getting enough copper, which you’ll find in nuts, liver and shellfish.

Here’s a quick and easy way to dramatically lower your risk of the top age-related sight disorder… go fishin’!

We’ve known for years that fish oil plays a key role in eye health, but the latest studies show that omega-3 fatty acids can actually reduce your risk of age-related macular degeneration by around a third.

That’s the single biggest cause of blindness in folks over 55, afflicting around 30 million people around the world. Some estimates say those numbers will triple by 2025, which isn’t as far off as it sounds.

There are two kinds of AMD, but without getting technical on you we can call them “wet” and “dry.” That’s because one involves leaking blood vessels, while the other doesn’t.

Fortunately, fish oil can reduce your risk of both conditions. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that consuming extra omega-3 fatty acids can reduce your risk of wet AMD by 35 percent, and the dry one by 32 percent.

This supports an Australian study published last year, which found that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of AMD by around 38 percent – and that people who ate fish at least twice a week had the lowest risk.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. One of the main fatty acids in fish oil is docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA. One of the main fatty acids in our retina is… that very same DHA.

Our brains are also packed with the stuff, which is why it’s so important to make sure you get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids every day.

In addition to eye and brain health (as if that’s not enough), these essential oils can also help avoid some cancers, fight off diabetes and slash your risk of heart disease.

You don’t really have to catch your own fresh fish to enjoy the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. You don’t even have to eat fish (but it helps). If you don’t like seafood or worry about mercury levels, then the catch of the day for you is an omega-3 supplement.

Some of them may leave a fishy aftertaste – or the so-called “fish burps” – so experiment until you find one you like.

After all, there’s nothing fishy about great health!

Call this one more benefit killed in action during the indiscriminate war on fat.

When the mainstream convinced everyone to stop eating all fats, millions upon millions of Americans quietly began losing out on omega-3 fatty acids.

Those essential fats have a number of well-established benefits. And the latest research shows that they may help prevent a top cause of blindness among older folks: age-related macular degeneration.

The study on mice, published in August in the American Journal of Pathology, found that when the rodents were given diets rich in omega-3s, they had fewer of the retinal lesions that damage the vision.

Not only that, but it slowed the progression of lesions already present and even reversed some of them.

This confirms the findings of two studies done on humans and published in 2006 in the Archives of Ophthalmology. These studies found that folks who ate plenty of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids have a lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.

One of those studies shows that the fatty fish lowered the risk by as much as 40 percent.

Sounds great, right? The problem is that most Americans don’t get enough omega-3 fatty acids, and it’s become incredibly difficult to get enough from diet alone, as I mentioned just a few months back.

Most of the naturally occurring omega-3 fatty acids in our diets were processed right out of our foods generations ago because of how the animals we eat are fed. You see, only animals that eat greens instead of grains accumulate these important oils. So unless you eat a lot of wild game or wild fatty fish, chances are you’ll need to take a supplement to ensure you’re getting the right amount.

While omega-3 fatty acids are finally starting to get their long-overdue attention as manufacturers race to put them into everything from peanut butter to orange juice, there are entire generations who got far too little for far too long.

That can help explain the 25 percent jump in age-related macular degeneration between 2002 and 2008. Expect those numbers to rise even more, in part because our population is getting older, but in part because they’ve been given the wrong advice about nutrition for decades, and now they’re paying for it.

But whether you’re concerned about your eyes or not, make sure you get those omega-3 fatty acids into your system. They’re easy to get and will protect you in many ways – eye health is only the beginning when it comes to the amazing omega-3s.

Omega-3 fatty acids can help lower your risk for heart disease, improve cholesterol levels, manage blood pressure, and fight arthritis and mental illnesses such as depression. And that’s not even the complete list.

All that and with no side effects, too – no wonder they’ve been trying to keep it from you.