Many of us fear the effects of aging—sore joints, immobility, cognitive decline, dependency, incontinence, wrinkles and all of the other wonderful things that we get to look forward to as we get older. Though aging is a part of life, in recent years it has taken on a perjorative connotation. Cosmetic companies, plastic surgery clinics, Botox®, Restylane®—billions of dollars are made each year by companies that cater to our collective fears of looking older. For all of the effort that our society puts into fighting the cosmetic effects of aging, how much effort do we as a society expend trying to age healthy?
Little attention especially is paid to maintaining the health of our eyes which is surprising. Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of blindness for those over the age of fifty in the United States which is why it is often referred to as, ‘age-related macular degeneration.’ It results when the macula, a small area at the back of your eye, starts to atrophy, thin, or in some cases bleed. Patients who suffer from macular degeneration experience blurring of their central vision which entails the inability to see fine details (such as reading).
A very recent study found that docosahexaenoic acid (an essential omega-3 fatty acid) as well as Lutein (a natural carotenoid found in green leafy vegetables) may actually prevent age-related macular degeneration. For the study, they used a lutein dose of 12 mg per day along with 800mg/d of DHA.
BACKGROUND
“Lutein and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may protect against age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Lutein is a component of macular pigment. DHA is in the retina.”
Dosage:
1. lutein (12 mg/d)
2. DHA (800 mg/d)
CONCLUSIONS
“Lutein supplementation increased MPOD (macular pigment optical density) eccentrically. DHA resulted in central increases. These results may be due to changes in lipoproteins. Lutein and DHA may aid in prevention of age-related macular degeneration.”
Reference:
Johnson EJ, Chung HY, Caldarella SM, Snodderly DM. The influence of supplemental lutein and docosahexaenoic acid on serum, lipoproteins, and macular pigmentation. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1521-9.
macular degeneration lutein dietary supplement health blog blindness docosahexaenoic acid
4 Comments
June 23, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Excellent point! And funny I was just writing an article on “Does eating carrots improve vision?” as asked by a reader. It sure does in the case of cataracts and macular degeneration according to the recent beta carotene studies I have been perusing. Thanks for stopping by my website, look forward to reading your articles
June 23, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Dr. Nicole Sundene, thank you very much for visiting my site and for your recent comments. I have to say that you’ve got a great website with tons of interesing articles. I too look forward to reading your articles. For my blog readers, you can can follow this link to her site:
http://kitchentablemedicine.com/
Cheers,
Jarret
June 26, 2008 at 9:10 am
Dr Jarret
your website has very intersting articles…it makes difference for people like me to enhance my knowledge..its good work Doctor..
Looking forward for future articles…
June 26, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Neerali, thank you for feedback on my site. For my blog readers, Neerali has a very well-written and insightful blog: http://microbioresearch.blogspot.com/
cheers,
Jarret