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Meta-analytic study shows antioxidants do not prevent AMD

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Consuming dietary antioxidants or antioxidant supplements does not appear to prevent early age-related macular degeneration, according to a study by researchers in Australia.

"Oxidative damage in the retina has been hypothesized as a key process involved in development of early AMD. Antioxidants are thought to prevent AMD by reducing the photo-oxidative damage from blue light in the oxygen-filled environment of the retina," the authors said.

Elaine W-T Chong and colleagues at the University of Melbourne systematically reviewed abstracts of studies that evaluated the efficacy of dietary antioxidants in preventing AMD. Of the 4,192 abstracts initially identified in a search of seven databases, nine prospective cohort studies evaluating antioxidants and three randomized clinical trials evaluating antioxidant supplements met standardized selection criteria, according to the study.

The researchers independently extracted data from the 12 studies and also assessed the quality of each study using the Downs and Black instrument for cohort studies. They then pooled the results quantitatively using meta-analytic methods.

The nine prospective cohort studies included 149,203 people, with 1,878 incident cases of early AMD. The antioxidants investigated in these studies differed and not all studies contributed to the meta-analysis of each antioxidant, the authors noted.

Pooled results from the nine prospective cohort studies indicated that vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and lycopene have little or no effect on the primary prevention of early AMD, the authors reported.

In addition, the three randomized clinical trials did not show that antioxidant supplements prevented early AMD, they found.

"There is insufficient evidence to support the role of dietary antioxidants, including the use of dietary antioxidant supplements, for the primary prevention of early AMD," the authors said.

The study is published in the British Medical Journal.