Study: Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids (2003) May Reduce Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

May 6, 2003 — Dietary omega-3 fatty acids but not beta-carotene supplementation is associated with a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to two presentations May 4-6 at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A third presentation suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may also reduce the risk of dry eye syndrome in women.

"Higher intake of omega n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) and fish was associated with decreased risk of having neovascular AMD after adjusting for nutrient- and nonnutrient-based predictors and correlates of AMD," write J. P. SanGiovanni, from the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues.

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) was a case-control study of 4,513 participants aged 60 to 80 years at enrollment. Best-corrected visual acuity was 20/32 or better in at least one eye in all subjects.

Compared with the lowest quintile of total n-3 LCPUFA intake, the risk for neovascular AMD was significantly decreased for the highest quintile (odds ratio [OR], 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40 - 0.88), after statistical adjustment for all nutrient- and nonnutrient-based variables. Docosahexaenoic acid, an n-3 LCPUFA that is selectively accreted and retained in the photoreceptor outer segments, also had a protective effect (OR for highest vs. lowest quintile, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.35 - 0.79).

Total fish consumption of more than two servings per week was associated with a decreased risk for neovascular AMD compared with no fish in the diet (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.28 - 0.84). Having more than one four-ounce weekly serving of broiled or baked fish (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.44 - 0.94) or tuna (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.45 - 0.98) also protected against neovascular AMD.

Bausch & Lomb, Inc. helped support this study.