Vitamin B supplements may reduce the risk for age-related macular degeneration,
at least in women with cardiovascular disease or at risk for it.
Macular degeneration, a disease that destroys the central area of the retina,
is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over 50.
In a study published Feb. 23 in The Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers followed 5,205 female health care professionals with cardiovascular disease or three or more risk factors for it.
They were randomly assigned to take either a placebo or a combination of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12. After an average of 7.3 years of follow-up, there were 55 cases of macular degeneration in the treatment group and 82 among those who took a placebo.
The groups were similar in a broad range of health characteristics, but the researchers found that those who took the vitamins had a 41 percent reduced risk for significant degeneration. That may be because the vitamins reduce blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which has been implicated in vision loss.
But the study’s lead author, Dr. William G. Christen, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard, declined to recommend vitamin use. “These are the first randomized trial data indicating a possible benefit,” he said. “The next step is to corroborate these findings in other populations.”
Postingan
University of Maryland researchers suggest that carotenoids, particularly lycopene may protect the eye against oxidative damage and play a critical role in visual function. The identification of lycopene and a diverse range of dietary carotenoids in ocular tissues suggest that these carotenoids, as well as other nutrients found in tomato-based foods, may work in concert with lutein and zeaxanthin to provide protection against age related macular degeneration and other visual disorders.
BalasHapus