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Lee Swanson Research Update

Omega-3 Appears to Reduce Risk of AMD Vision Loss

April 2011

New research published in Archives of Ophthalmology finds that omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and

eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may significantly reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The study reports that regular consumption of DHA, EPA and fish is associated with up to a 45% lower risk of visual impairment due

to AMD.

"These prospective data from a large population of women with no prior diagnosis of AMD indicate that regular consumption of DHA

and EPA and fish significantly reduced the risk of incident AMD," said the researchers, led by Dr. William G. Christen of Brigham and

Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA.

They added that the results of the study "appear to be the strongest evidence to date to support a role for omega-3 long-chain fatty

acids in the primary prevention of AMD, and perhaps a reduction in the number of persons who ultimately have advanced AMD."

"For the large majority of persons with early or no AMD, there is no recognized means of disease preventionThus, the

identification of means to prevent or delay the development of AMD would have marked public health significance," the authors said.

Dietary intake of fish, specifically the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, has been linked with reduced rates of cardiovascular 

events in epidemiologic studies and researchers have suggested similar benefits may be possible for AMD.

Omega-3 fatty acids are known to exert anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic and anti-thrombotic effects on blood vessels and may

help to maintain or improve blood flow in the eye.

"The further observations that DHA and arachidonic acid (AA), an omega-6 fatty acid, are found in high concentrations in the retina,

are modifiable by diet, and are important structural components of retinal photoreceptor outer segments and vascular tissue further 

support the potential importance of these nutrients in AMD," explained Christen and his colleagues.

The new report examined the relationship between dietary intake of DHA and EPA and fish with visually significant AMD over a

10-year follow-up of a large group of female health professionals.

The researchers collected information on eating habits via questionnaire at the beginning of the study. The 38,022 women were

then followed up with over 10 years to track the diagnosis of AMD.

Dr. Christen and his co-workers reported that women who consumed the most DHA compared with women who consumed the

lowest amount had a 38% lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, while higher intake of EPA resulted in a 35%

lower risk.

Results for fish intake showed that consumption of one or more servings of fish per week, when compared to less than one per 

month, was associated with a 42% lower risk of AMD.

"This inverse association was independent of other AMD risk factors and was not materially altered after adjustment for saturated,

monounsaturated and trans unsaturated fat intake," explained Christen and colleagues.

"Thus, these findings suggest that dietary intake of DHA and EPA and fish may be beneficial in the primary prevention of AMD," they

added.

The team of researchers concluded that their results "indicate that regular consumption of docosahexaenoic acid and

eicosapentaenoic acid and fish was associated with a significantly decreased risk of incident AMD and may be of benefit in primary

prevention of AMD."

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Archives of Ophthalmology Published online ahead of print.

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