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10.13.06
Indication:
Intermediate age-related macular degeneration
Source:
Arch Ophthalmol, August 2006;124:1151-1162.
Research:
Investigators were interested in evaluating the relationship between dietary lutein plus zeaxanthin and intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD), so they looked at women aged 50 to 79 years living in Iowa, Wisconsin or Oregon, who had either lutein plus zeaxan-thin intake levels above the 78th (high) or below the 28th (low) percentiles at baseline. These women, who were part of the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, were recruited four to seven years later into the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease Study (CAREDS), when the presence of AMD was determined by fundus photographs. Logistic regression analyses examined the prevalence of AMD in 1787 CAREDS participants, after accounting for potential covariates.
Results:
The prevalence of intermediate AMD was not statistically different between the high and low lutein plus zeaxanthin intake recruitment groups after adjusting for age. Limiting analyses to women younger than 75 years with stable intake of lutein plus zeaxanthin, without a history of chronic diseases that are often associated with diet changes, substantially lowered odds ratios. Exploratory analyses of advanced AMD in 34 participants resulted in protective, but statistically non-significant associations in the overall sample and in women younger than 75 years. Therefore, researchers believe that diets rich in lutein plus zeaxanthin may protect against intermediate AMD in healthy women younger than 75 years.