How should Birmingham residents combat Age Related Macular Degeneration
(AMD? Eat lots of fish! (AMD) is a common cause of vision loss in seniors.
Recently, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that the
disease may be associated with a high dietary fat intake. The results of their
study found that eating fish, such as tuna, four times a week, may reduce the
risk of macular degeneration. The subjects of the study were participants in the
Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study who did not
have AMD at when the study commenced. After 12 years of follow-up, 567 people
with a visual loss of 20/30 or worse were identified. Fat intake was assessed
with a food frequency questionnaire.
The study found:
·
Those
patients whose total dietary fat intake was in the highest quintile had over
one and a half times the risk of AMD as those whose fat intake was in the
lowest quintile,
·
Linolenic
acid consumption was directly associated with the risk of AMD,
·
High
intake of docosahexaenoic acid was associated with a modest reduction in the
risk of AMD.
·
Those
who ate four or more servings of fish a week were at a 35% lower risk of AMD
when compared to those who ate fewer than three servings of fish a week.
They added that a high intake of fish, a rich source of docosahexaenoic
acid, may reduce this risk. Thus, the researchers concluded that dietary fat
intake was associated with an increased risk of age related macular
degeneration (AMD) and that this may have been due to the presence of Linolenic
acid in the fat.
If you or someone you know has a family history of age related macular
degeneration or wishes to learn more about their risk of AMD, please call 205-930-0930, visit
Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or
www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.
Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract
Center are leading eye care centers in Birmingham located at UAB-Highlands,
1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205
