Nutrition and lifestyle
Age-related Macular Degeneration: Nutrition, Genes and Deep Learning- The LXXVI Edward Jackson Memorial Lecture
Am J Ophthalmol. 2020 Jun 20;S0002-9394(20)30284-1.
Emily Y Chew
PMID: 32574780 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2020.05.042
Dr Emily Chew, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, USA, presented the 76th Jackson Memorial Lecture, 2019. Jackson Memorial Lecture takes place during the annual meeting Opening Session of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and is cosponsored by the American Journal of Ophthalmology.
Dr Chew reviewed the importance of nutritional supplements, dietary pattern, and genetic associations in age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The first evidence of the importance of diet in AMD came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted in 1988. Numerous other reports have since investigated the importance of nutritional risk factors and particular nutrients. Of note are the two Age Related Eye Disease Studies, AREDS and AREDS2, which launched in 1992 and 2006, respectively. The studies demonstrated the beneficial effects of the AREDS and AREDS2 supplements of antioxidant vitamins and zinc plus copper for reducing the risk of progression to late AMD in patients with intermediate AMD or late AMD in one eye.
These two studies also confirmed the importance of high adherence to Mediterranean diet in reducing progression of AMD in persons with varying severity of disease.
Furthermore, in persons with the protective genetic alleles of Complement Factor H (CFH), the Mediterranean diet had further beneficial effect. However, despite the genetic association with AMD progression, prediction models found genetic information added little to the high predictive value of baseline severity of AMD for disease progression.
Dr Chew concluded that counselling patients affected by AMD regarding the use of the AREDS2 supplements and the beneficial association of the Mediterranean diet is an important public health message. Although genetic testing is important in research, it is not recommended for prediction of disease or to guide therapies or dietary interventions in AMD.
MDFA has relevant patient resources on nutrition and supplements for you to order.