Omega 3's Can Help with AMD, Says New Study

"Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School and other institutions have demonstrated for the first time that the omega (ω)-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), DHA and EPA, and their specific bioactive products derived from the cytochrome P450 (CYP) pathway, can influence choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and vascular leakage by modulating micro-environmental immune cell recruitment to the site of these lesions. Their findings will be published in PNAS Online Early Edition the week of June 16-20, 2014." That's a new post on Science Daily. Read more.

Older Adults Ignoring Nutrients in Daily Diet that Support Eye Health, Says Study

A recent review published as an Expert Opinion in the Journal of Clinical Interventions in Aging outlines the link between specific nutrients and eye health. But the review, funded by a grant from Bausch + Lomb, also found that many Americans over age 50 don’t consume enough of these nutrients in their daily diet to support their eye health. That’s according to a B+L spokesperson.

Elizabeth Johnson, Ph.D., a nutrition researcher at Tufts University, and Helen Rasmussen, Ph.D., R.D., an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University, and authors of this review of published literature, focused on the antioxidants vitamins C and E, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc and the omega-3 fatty acids eicosahexaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as important nutrients that can potentially help protect eye health as people age.

“Many adults don’t think about their eye health or sight until it’s too late to reverse the damage their eyes may have sustained,” said Dr. Johnson.  “Our review shows that incorporating proper nutrition into the diet can help adults protect their eye health. It’s a small step that can go a long way.”

The review is said to have highlighted data from the most recent NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) which indicates that most Americans fall below the optimal intake of these specific nutrients. Further, according to a recent survey conducted by the Ocular Nutrition Society, 78 percent of adults, ages 45-65, rank vision as the most important of their five senses, yet less than half are aware of important nutrients that may play a key role in eye health. Specifically, survey respondents were unaware of the specific nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids (almost 60 percent), lutein (66 percent) and zeaxanthin (nearly 90 percent). Diet is the best way to get these specific nutrients, but for adults who don’t get the nutrients needed through diet alone, nutritional supplementation is warranted.

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Omega-3’s Do Not Help with AMD

“Adding omega-3 fatty acids did not improve a combination of nutritional supplements commonly recommended for treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of vision loss among older Americans, according to a new study,” reports Science Daily. “The plant-derived antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin also had no overall effect on AMD when added to the combination; however, they were safer than the related antioxidant beta-carotene.” The study appeared in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn. Read more. You can also see more at the National Eye Institute.

Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Omega-3’s Do Help

“A randomized trial by Christin Arnold, Dipl-Troph, of Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, and colleagues found that a supplement containing a fixed combination of lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) during 12 months significantly improved plasma antioxidant capacity, circulating macular xanthophyll levels and optical density of the macular pigment,” says Medical News Today. Read more.

Omega-3's Could Help with CL Discomfort

"Researchers who studied the effects of omega-3s found that supplementation improved comfort with and without contact lens wear," reports Optometry News. "Percy Lazon de la Jara, PhD, reported here at Academy 2012 that 45 participants in a study rated their ocular comfort in the morning and evening with no contact lens wear for 10 days, then with daily disposable contact lens wear for 10 days. The participants then took omega-3 supplements for 6 weeks, and the measurements were repeated, without and with contact lens wear. 'Ocular comfort declines over the day regardless of whether lenses are worn or not, but the decline was greatest in magnitude in contact lens wear,' de la Jara said at an academy-sponsored press conference.  'Omega-3s improved overall comfort ratings but did not stop the decline at the end of the day,' de la Jara added. 'Omega-3 consumption reduced some inflammatory ocular signs and symptoms in wearers.'" Read more.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Important for Vision

Researchers in Nunavik, Quebec, investigated the effect of maternal omega-3 intake on childhood visual function, says PUFA. Results showed that higher fetal exposure to DHA, which is concentrated in the retina of the eye, enhanced children's visual function up to 13 years later."DHA in maternal prenatal nutrition may have long-lasting effects in children," Joyce Nettleton, D.Sc., editor of the PUFA Newsletter and Fats of Life, concluded. For more information, go to the PUFA Newsletter and Fats of Life at FatsofLife.com.