AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION
Eating fish may stave off eye disorder
THE QUESTION The beneficial oils in fish, known as omega-3 fatty acids, have been proven effective in lowering fats linked to heart disease and diabetes and are thought to be helpful in combating conditions as disparate as high blood pressure, menstrual pain, osteoporosis, psoriasis and depression, among others. Might fish consumption also prevent the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which gradually destroys vision?
THIS STUDY analyzed data on 38,022 women, who averaged 55 years old and had no AMD at the start of the study. In about a 10-year span, the condition had been diagnosed in 235 of the women. Those who regularly consumed at least one serving of fish a week — especially canned tuna or dark-meat fish such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish or swordfish — were 42 percent less likely to have developed AMD than were women who ate less than one serving of fish a month.
WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? Older women. AMD involves deterioration of the macula, the part of the eye in the center of the retina that enables a person to see fine detail. Though the disease can develop in middle age, the vast majority of people who have it are 60 or older, including about a third of those older than 75.
CAVEATS Whether the findings would apply to men is unclear. Data on fish consumption came from the women’s responses on questionnaires at the start of the study and did not reflect any dietary changes thereafter.
FIND THIS STUDY March 14 online issue of Archives of Ophthalmology (www.archophthalmol.com or http://archopht.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/archophthalmol.2011.34)
LEARN MORE ABOUT AMD at www.nei.nih.gov/health and www.geteyesmart.org.
— Linda Searing
The research described in Quick Study comes from credible, peer-reviewed journals. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment's effectiveness is rarely found in a single study. Anyone considering changing or beginning treatment of any kind should consult with a physician.
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