Higher Dietary DHA/EPA Omega-3 Fatty Acids Associated with Lessened Progression in Age-related Vision Loss

Presenter: Dr. J.P. SanGiovanni at the 2006 ISSFAL Meeting in Cairns, Australia

Institution: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Dr. J. P. SanGiovanni reported this afternoon, at the ISSFAL Congress in Cairns, Australia, on the relationship of dietary omega-3 intakes as DHA/EPA, found mainly in fish, to the deterioration in visual performance with aging. In this study, called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), 2381 participants who had early or intermediate age-related macular degeneration in at least one eye at entry were followed up for 8 years. During follow-up, people reporting the highest levels of dietary DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) were less likely by 20% and 25%, respectively, to progress to visual loss.

More information: www.dhaomega3.org