Sean Moloughney12.28.09
Omega 3 intake was linked to decreased incidence of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and central geographic atrophy, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Researchers undertook a nested cohort study within a multicenter phase 3 clinical trial, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), to study progression to advanced AMD in 1837 persons at moderate-to-high risk of this condition.
The AREDS was designed to assess the clinical course, prognosis, risk factors and nutrient-based treatments of AMD and ran from November 1992 to December 2005. Researchers obtained baseline data on omega 3 EPA and DHA intake with a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Trained fundus graders ascertained AMD status from annual stereoscopic color photographs by using standardized methods at a single reading center across a 12-year period.
According to study results, participants who reported the highest omega 3 intake (median: 0.11% of total energy intake) were 30% less likely than their peers to develop CGA and NV AMD. The respective odds ratios were 0.65 (95% CI: 0.45, 0.92; P ≤ 0.02) and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.94; P ≤ 0.02).
The 12-year incidence of CGA and NV AMD in participants at moderate-to-high risk of these outcomes was lowest for those reporting the highest consumption of omega 3. Researchers concluded these results may guide the development of low-cost and easily implemented preventive interventions for progression to advanced AMD.
Research was supported by the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services.
Researchers undertook a nested cohort study within a multicenter phase 3 clinical trial, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), to study progression to advanced AMD in 1837 persons at moderate-to-high risk of this condition.
The AREDS was designed to assess the clinical course, prognosis, risk factors and nutrient-based treatments of AMD and ran from November 1992 to December 2005. Researchers obtained baseline data on omega 3 EPA and DHA intake with a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Trained fundus graders ascertained AMD status from annual stereoscopic color photographs by using standardized methods at a single reading center across a 12-year period.
According to study results, participants who reported the highest omega 3 intake (median: 0.11% of total energy intake) were 30% less likely than their peers to develop CGA and NV AMD. The respective odds ratios were 0.65 (95% CI: 0.45, 0.92; P ≤ 0.02) and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.94; P ≤ 0.02).
The 12-year incidence of CGA and NV AMD in participants at moderate-to-high risk of these outcomes was lowest for those reporting the highest consumption of omega 3. Researchers concluded these results may guide the development of low-cost and easily implemented preventive interventions for progression to advanced AMD.
Research was supported by the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services.
