PA Medical News about Macular Degeneration Fatty Acids, Omega-3

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Omega-3 Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and 12-y incidence of neovascular age-related macular degeneration and central geographic atrophy: a prospective cohort study from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 10/20/09

SanGiovanni JP et al. – The 12–y incidence of central geographic atrophy (CGA) and neovascular (NV) AMD in participants at moderate–to–high–risk of these outcomes was lowest for those reporting the highest consumption of omega–3 long–chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs). If these results are generalizable, they may guide the development of low–cost and easily implemented preventive interventions for progression to advanced AMD.

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JP SanGiovanni, 10/20/09

In this work we present novel findings on the protective relationship of dietary omega-3 fatty acid intake with 12-year incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Our results are based on analyses of a dietary intake questionnaire and annual retinal photographs in 1837 people at moderate-to-high risk of progression to advanced AMD. Progression to advanced AMD was 30% less likely to occur across a 12 year period among people reporting highest intake of the omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and/or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). These results are concordant with our previous findings in a model system of retinal angiogenesis (published in Nature, 2007). They build on those from two other papers examining this relationship at the start of the AREDS and 5-years post enrollment. The strength of evidence here is notable as AREDS contains the longest followed and largest cohort of people at moderate risk for progression to advanced AMD participating in an NEI-sponsored clinical trial on AMD. We have implemented a 4000-person phase III clinical trial (AREDS2) to test the LCPUFA-AMD hypothesis while ruling out the possibility that health-related practices associated with omega-3 intake and AMD may explain previous results. If our findings from AREDS persist in AREDS2, dietary supplementation with omega-3 LCPUFAs may be reasonably considered as a low-cost and easily applied approach in prevention of progression to advanced AMD.