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No deficiencies seen in diets of patients with AMD
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No specific nutrient deficiencies were seen in the diets of people with age-related macular degeneration in comparison with patients with no AMD, a study found. The study authors suggested that patients with AMD seem to be aware of research showing that nutritional supplements can help to prevent progression of the disease.
Hannah Bartlett and Frank Eperjesi of Aston University in England divided 74 participants into three groups. Group 1 consisted of 20 participants under 50 years of age with no AMD; group 2 had 27 participants more than 50 years old, also with no AMD; and group 3 consisted of 27 participants with AMD, whose ages were 55 to 79 years. This study group was part of a larger study on the effects of nutritional supplementation on visual function in normal and diseased eyes, the authors note.
The researchers found that subjects in group 2 consumed significantly more vitamin C and significantly more fiber than those in group 1. Those in group 3 (the subjects with AMD) consumed significantly more protein and zinc than their age-matched controls (group 2). Participants under age 50 years consumed significantly less dietary vitamin C than those aged over 50 years, the researchers found.
“Supplementation data shows that 7.4% of the over-50 group take uncombined vitamin C compared with 0% of the under-50 group. However, a higher percentage of the under-50 group take multivitamins (33.3%) compared with the over-50 group (22.2%),” the authors reported in Nutrition Journal.
A higher percentage of people with AMD consumed specific ocular health nutritional supplements (33.3%) compared with their age- and gender-matched controls (11.1%) and with those under 50 (0%). The authors suggested that information regarding studies of the role of nutritional supplementation in reducing the risk of onset or progression of AMD is reaching patients.