Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Progression of AMD

Higher dietary DHA/EPA Omega-3 Fatty Acids associated with lessened progression in age-related vision loss.

Dr. J. P. SanGiovanni reported in July 2006, at the ISSFAL (International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids & Lipids) Congress in Cairns, Australia, on the relationship of dietary omega-3 intakes as DHA/EPA, found mainly in fish, to the deterioration in visual performance with aging.

In this study, called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), 2381 participants who had early or intermediate age-related macular degeneration in at least one eye at entry were followed up for 8 years. During follow-up, Dr. San Giovanni reported that people with the highest levels of dietary DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) were less likely by 20% and 25%, respectively, to progress to visual loss.

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Source

Dr. J.P. SanGiovanni, of the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, at the July 2006 ISSFAL Meeting in Cairns, Australia, July 2006.

More information: www.dhaomega3.org.

Key concepts: Omega-3 fish oil, DHA, AMD, Age-Related Macular Degeneration