Omega-3 fatty acids associated with lowered risk of neovascular AMD, study finds

According to a new study, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid may aid in identifying patients at risk for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Merle and colleagues reported in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science that they evaluated 290 patients participating in the Nutritional AMD Treatment 2 Study with neovascular AMD in one eye and early AMD lesions in the other eye. They also included 144 participants without AMD.

The researchers determined participants' seafood intake via a questionnaire and measured eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) composition in serum and red-blood cell membranes (RBCM).

Results showed that participants with AMD ate less seafood, according to the study. They also demonstrated that participants who had higher levels of EPA or EPA+DHA had a lower risk for neovascular AMD.

"RBCM EPA and EPA+DHA, as long-term biomarkers of n-3 dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid status, were strongly associated with neovascular AMD and may represent an objective marker identifying subjects at high risk for neovascular AMD, who may most benefit from nutritional interventions," the authors concluded.

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Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014; doi: 10.1167/iovs.14-13916.