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Alterations in AREDS formula recommended
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SEATTLE — The addition of lutein/zeaxanthin to and the subtraction of beta carotene from the AREDS supplement formula was recommended by investigators in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2.
Emily Y. Chew, MD, lead author of the National Eye Institute study published online in Journal of the American Medical Association, told colleagues here at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting that study data pointed to a replacement formula for the AREDS formula that has been recommended for patients at risk for progression of age-related macular degeneration. The new formula is 400 IU of vitamin E, 500 mg vitamin C, 10 mg lutein and 2 mg zeaxanthin, 80 mg zinc and 2 mg copper.
Emily Y. Chew
The updated formula adds lutein and zeaxanthin, which were primarily studied in the AREDS2, and replaces beta carotene, which suppresses the action of lutein and zeaxanthin. Zinc would be maintained at 80 mg, “which certainly wasn’t harmful,” according to Chew.
“We found no compelling reason to change it,” she said.
Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were specifically considered as potentially beneficial in the AREDS formula, but no benefit was found.
“The data we looked at in the secondary analysis did not show any beneficial effect in any of the subgroup analyses, so we have no grounds to stand on and say this is something we would recommend,” Chew said in a later press briefing. “Clearly, we saw no effect, neither harmful nor beneficial.”
In a secondary analysis, lutein and zeaxanthin had no impact on cataract in a study population of patients at risk for progression of AMD, Chew said. Findings are published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Disclosure: Chew has no relevant financial disclosures.
References:
The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) Research Group. JAMA. 2013;doi:10.1001/jama.2013.4997.
The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) Research Group. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2013;doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2013.4412.