The effect of antioxidant supplements on age-related eye disease
Taking Care Of Your Eyes
If you don’t get a chance to go fishing
Earlier this week I told you how adding extra helpings of fish to your diet may prevent the early symptoms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) from progressing to an advanced stage. But in addition to fish, there are other ways to help protect your vision from this debilitating condition.
In the e-Alert “Looking Good” 11/25/03), I told you about an Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) study that followed 3,600 adults with varying degrees of AMD risk. The subjects were divided in to four groups and assigned one of the following regimens:
- Daily supplementation with antioxidants (500 mg vitamin C, 400 IUs of vitamin E, 15 mg beta carotene)
- Daily supplementation with zinc (80 mg of zinc oxide and 2 mg of cupric oxide)
- Daily supplementation with a combination of both antioxidants and zinc at the prescribed dosages
- Placebo
After a six-year trial period, researchers found that when compared to the placebo group, subjects in the antioxidant group had a 17 percent lower rate of AMD, and subjects in the zinc group had an impressive 21 percent lower incidence of AMD. But those in the group that combined antioxidants and zinc cut their risk of AMD by a full 25 percent.
The study didn’t assess the supplements’ ability to prevent the initial development of AMD, but some researchers believe that future studies may demonstrate a preventive effect of these and other antioxidant supplements.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
Sources:
“A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial of High-Dose Supplementation With Vitamins C and E, Beta Carotene, and Zinc for Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Vision Loss” AREDS Report No. 8, Archives of Ophthalmology, vol. 119, no. 10, October 2001, archopht.ama-assn.org
“Study: Vitamins Combat Age-Related Blindness” Reuters, 11/11/03, cnn.com
