Yellow Pigments Protect Against Age Related Macular Degeneration

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Women under 75 who consume plants that contain lutein and zeaxanthin,

yellow pigments, may have a lower risk of developing the eye disease

age-related macular generation (AMD), say researchers from the

University of Wisconsin, and the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye

Disease Study (CAREDS) Research Study Group.

 

AMD is the main cause of blindness among elderly people in the USA.

Currently, there is no cure for AMD. Treatment exists which slows

down AMD progression, hence prevention is vital if you want to

protect your eyesight into old age.

 

The team looked at 1,787 women in Wisconsin and Oregon. The women

were aged 50-79. The researchers wanted to assess the effects of

dietary lutein plus zeaxanthin. They recruited women from the Women's

Health Initiative who had the highest and lowest intakes of lutein

and zeaxanthin. All the women had blood samples taken to assess their

levels of carotenoids, color photos were taken of their retinas to

determine whether AMD was present, and if it was, how far it had

progressed. The women also filled out a questionnaire to evaluate

what their diets were like 15 years before the study began.

 

They found that women under 75 who had been consuming carotenoids

steadily over a 15 year period, did not have previous AMD or chronic

disease, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or hypertension,

had a lower risk of intermediate-stage AMD.

 

However, no noteworthy difference was seen in the overall group of

women or when comparing lutein and zeaxanthin levels in the blood to

AMD occurrence. There was a slight association between dietary lutein

plus zeaxanthin and advanced-stage AMD in all the women and in women

younger than age 75 years.

 

The absence of an association between carotenoids intake and AMD in

the overall study could be due to several factors - the older women

in the study perhaps consumed more fruit or vegetables during their

lifetimes than older adults who were no longer alive. The authors

stressed that many nutrients may work together to provide protection

from AMD - the study may not have measured other dietary deficits

that may influence risk.

 

Suzen M. Moeller, team leader, wrote " This exploratory observation is

consistent with a broad body of evidence from observational and

experimental studies that suggests that these carotenoids may protect

against AMD. Still, given the numerous analyses performed in this

study, our results could be due to chance. More conclusive evidence

from long-term prospective studies and clinical trials is needed to

determine whether the intake of macular carotenoids themselves, or as

markers of broader dietary patterns, can protect against intermediate

AMD or delay progression in individuals who have early stages of the

disease. "

 

These foods contain lutein and zeaxanthin:

 

-- Eggs

-- Kale

-- Spinach

-- Turnip

-- Greens

-- Collard greens

-- Romaine lettuce

-- Broccoli

-- Zucchini

-- Corn

-- Garden peas

-- Brussels sprouts

 

Associations Between Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration

and Lutein and Zeaxanthin in the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye

Disease Study (CAREDS)

Ancillary Study of the Women's Health Initiative

Suzen M. Moeller, PhD; Niyati Parekh, PhD; Lesley Tinker, PhD; Cheryl

Ritenbaugh, PhD, MPH; Barbara Blodi, MD; Robert B. Wallace, MD; Julie

A. Mares, PhD; for the CAREDS Research Study Group

Arch Ophthalmol. 2006;124:1151-1162.

View Abstract Online

 

Written by: Christian Nordqvist

Editor: Medical News Today