Omega-3 reduces the risk of macular degeneration.

AOA First Look, March 15, 2011 included the report below.  Note that although the study was done on women there is a message here for men also.  I always recommend Omega 3 to my patients with macular degeneration as well as a multivitamin containing many ingredients known to be helpful in protecting the  health of the eyes.  If you are not using appropriate nutritional supplements and have macular degeneration or are at risk this is your message to begin now.  Increase your consumption of fish.  Ask your doctor what supplements you should be taking.  You must be proactive if you want to preserve your vision.

Consuming Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help Reduce A Woman's Risk Of AMD.


HealthDay (3/14, Mozes) reported, "Women who consume fish regularly -- and the abundance of omega-3 fatty acids found in that meal choice -- have a lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD)," according to a study published online March 14 in the Archives of Ophthalmology. In a study encompassing some 38,000 women who were followed for about 10 years, researchers found that women "who consumed the greatest amount of one or both omega-3 fatty acids (DHA, EPA) were found to have a 38 percent lower risk of developing AMD compared with those women who consumed the least."

"What's more, women who ate one or more servings of fatty fish per week -- mainly canned tuna and dark-meat fish -- were 42% less likely to be diagnosed with AMD compared with women who ate fish less than once a month," WebMD (3/14, Mann) reported.

MedPage Today (3/14, Fiore) reported, "Potential mechanisms by which omega-3s may lower the risk of AMD, they speculated, include the fact that the fatty acids may modulate the inflammatory and immune processes thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of the condition." MedPage Today also pointed out that the "study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health."

Also covering the story are Reuters (3/15, Joelving), the UK's Telegraph (3/14, Alleyne), the UK's Daily Mail (3/15, Hope), and the UK's Press Association (3/15).

Omega 3 Fatty Acids Offer Protection Against Progression of Macular Degeneration

The following article from "AOA First Look" shows the importance of Omega 3 fatty acids for persons with macular degeneration. If you suffer from macular degeneration be sure to ask your optometrist what you should be taking in hopes of slowing the progress of vision loss. Those at risk due to family history of the disease should be watching their diet and taking supplements as well.

Eating oily fish may reduce risk of AMD progression, study suggests.
Following a BBC News story, WLS-TV Chicago (6/9), an ABC affiliate, reported on its website that according to a study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, "omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in oily fish such as salmon and mackerel, appear to slow age-related macular degeneration (AMD)." Scientists believe that "omega-3 offers protection by altering fat levels in the blood that can be damaging to the body."
Explaining the study's methodology, MedPage Today (6/9, Smith) noted that researchers from Tufts University examined "dietary information from 2,924 eligible participants from the original" Age-Related Eye Disease Study, analyzing AMD "progression in 5,146 eyes." The team found that "dietary factors can influence the risk of progression of AMD." Specifically, people "in the highest quartile of" docosahexaenoic acid "consumption -- more than 64 milligrams a day -- had a hazard ratio for progression of 0.73...compared with the reference group," while participants "in the highest quartile of" eicosapentaenoic acid "consumption -- more than 42.3 milligrams a day -- had a hazard ratio for progression of 0.74," when "compared with the reference group." Notably, "the lower bounds for the highest quartiles of the two fatty acids are still significantly lower than the recommended daily dose of 650 milligrams."