06.01.09
The May edition of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, featured a new analysis of dietary factors and risks for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It found that a diet including key nutrients and low-glycemic index foods is likely to reduce risks for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Chung-Jung Chiu, PhD, of the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, led this new analysis of Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) data. The study team included AREDS researchers and was funded in part by USDA and the NIH. Earlier studies—including AREDS and the Nutrition and Vision Project of the Nurses’ Health Study—had revealed the AMD-protective effects of several nutrients and of a low-glycemic index (GI) diet, but this study is the first to associate specific food intake patterns with substantial AMD risk reductions. Study participants whose diets included higher levels of protective nutrients, such as vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, omega 3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) and low-GI foods were at lowest risk for early and advanced AMD.