University of Melbourne researchers reached this conclusion after reviewing nine published studies that included a total of 88,974 participants, including 3,203 people with AMD.
The authors concluded that a high dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids is associated with a 38 percent reduced risk of late (advanced) AMD. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in foods including walnuts, some fruits and vegetables, and coldwater fish such as herring, mackerel, sturgeon, and anchovies.
Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is the leading cause of severe vision loss in the elderly.
The researchers cautioned that the accumulated evidence includes few clinical trials and is insufficient to support the routine consumption of such foods for AMD prevention. The study was published in the June issue of the journal Archives of Ophthalmology.
The layer of nerve cells in the retina mainly consists of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Outer cells of the retina are continually shed and regenerated and deficiencies in omega-3 fatty acids may cause AMD. Researchers also noted that eating omega-3 rich fish twice a week is associated with a reduced risk of both early and late AMD.
Macular degeneration is a medical condition predominantly found in elderly adults in which the center of the inner lining of the eye, known as the macula area of the retina, suffers thinning, atrophy, and in some cases, bleeding. This can result in loss of central vision, which entails inability to see fine details, to read, or to recognize faces.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, it is the leading cause of central vision loss (blindness) in the United States for those over the age of 50. Although some macular dystrophies that affect younger individuals are sometimes referred to as macular degeneration, the term generally refers to age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD).
Age-related macular degeneration begins with characteristic yellow deposits in the macula and most people with these early changes (referred to as age-related maculopathy) have good vision.
