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 James McNabb, M.D., C.N. |
Age-related Macular Degeneration and Vitamins, Part 1
Along with a good many other ophthalmologists, I have noticed that when my patients with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) were treated with vitamins, the progression of their disease was slowed or halted.
New Research
Up until recently, though, this was strictly a clinical impression that was unsubstantiated by research. Now the National Eye Institutes (NEI) has published its AREDS study (the Age-related Eye Disease Study) that has confirmed what we clinicians have been thinking all along.
AREDS Study
The AREDS study is a 10 year, multicenter study comprising 4757 patients with various stages of macular disease. The vitamins included vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene (25000 IU), vitamin C (500 mg), vitamin E (400 iu), zinc (80 mg), and copper (2 mg). The study found that 22% of the placebo patients had vision loss. Patients taking the full regimen of vitamins and zinc had a 15% loss of vision loss. This translates to a 25 % reduction in progression of visual loss for those taking vitamins.
While we would like to see a complete arrest in the progression of AMD, this is wonderful news indeed. By today’s standard, this list of vitamins and minerals would seem rather small. I now recommend a vitamin regimen that is considerably more robust.
The Importance of Lutein
The scientific name for the macula is macula lutea, after the yellow pigment called lutein that gives the area its yellowish cast. Lutein has two properties that make it ideally suited for the macula. First, it is a wonderful antioxidant. Second, because it is a yellow pigment, it acts like a yellow filter. Photographers will tell you that the reds, oranges, and yellows come through a yellow filter quite well. Blues, however, are blocked. Blue is the most energetic of light and ultraviolet is even worse. By having a yellow filter in place, we are protected from the strongest of light. We also know that healthy eyes have lots of lutein. We also know that eyes with macular degeneration have none. This is why all of the new vitamins contain lutein. When this study was initiated, lutein was not available commercially. The results might have been considerably better if lutein had been included.
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