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LIMIA study fails to prove efficacy of supplements on macular pigment density
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PARIS — A French study failed to demonstrate the effects of supplementation with lutein, zeaxanthin, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants on macular pigment density, according to a speaker at the meeting of the French Society of Ophthalmology.
The LIMIA study, a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial carried out at the university hospitals of Bordeaux and Dijon, included 120 subjects with at least one of the parents affected by neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Mean age was 56.7 years and 71.7 years for male and female participants, respectively.
Marie-Noelle Delyfer
Active treatment or placebo was administered for 6 months, and evaluation was done every 3 months for 1 year. Variation of macular pigment density was measured using a modified HRA (Heidelberg), Visucam 200 MPD (Carl Zeiss Meditec) and heterochromatic flicker photometry (HFP, MacuLux, Ebiga Vision).
“Blood tests confirmed the increase of plasma carotenoids after 3 and 6 months in the group receiving supplements. However, HRA and Visucam examination failed to demonstrate a significant increase of macular pigment density, while an increase was shown by HFP,” Marie-Noelle Delyfer, MD, said.
Two hypotheses were formulated to explain these results.
“We may hypothesize that subjects at a high risk of developing AMD might have very low levels of carotenoids in the macula. On the other hand, there is a possibility that the technology used to measure macular pigment in this study was not sufficiently reliable,” Delyfer said.
HFP results alone are not sufficient to achieve reliable conclusions, but this older technology may still be the gold standard for measuring macular pigment density, she said. - by Michela Cimberle
Disclosure: Delyfer reports she is a consultant to Bayer, Novartis, Zeiss, Théa and Second Sight.