Dietary Omega-3 and Fish reduce Macular Degeneration in Older Women

Background

An estimated 9 million US adults aged 40 years and older show signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).For the large majority of persons with early or no AMD, there is no recognized means of disease prevention other than avoiding cigarette smoking. Thus, the identification of means to prevent or delay the development of AMD would have marked public health significance.

Method

A detailed food-frequency questionnaire was administered at baseline among 39, 876 female health professionals (mean age: 54.6 years). A total of 38, 022 women completed the questionnaire and were free of a diagnosis of AMD. The main outcome measure was incident AMD responsible for a reduction in visual acuity, based on self-report, confirmed by medical record review.

Results

A total of 235 cases of AMD were confirmed during an average of 10 years of follow-up. Women in the highest tertile of intake for DHA fatty acid, compared with those in the lowest, had a relative risk of AMD of 0.62. For EPA fatty acid, women in the highest tertile of intake had a relative risk of 0.66. Consistent with the findings for DHA and EPA, women who consumed 1 or more servings of fish per week, compared with those who consumed less than 1 serving per month, had a relative risk of AMD of 0.58.

Conclusion

These prospective data indicate that regular consumption of DHA and EPA fatty acids and fish was associated with a significantly decreased risk of incident AMD and may be of benefit in primary prevention of AMD.

References :
Christen, W. et al., Arch Ophthalmol. 2011;129(7):921-929

Further details at : http://archopht.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/129/7/921