Age-related macular generation (AMD) is an eye ailment that causes vision impairment in the older segment of the population, adversely impacting 11.5% of those older than 80 years old, reported News Fix recently.
As the population gets older, the number of people diagnosed with AMD is projected to increase, noted the article. The article added that Oxidative stress 1 has been looked at as a significant cause of AMD, which and has led to suggestions that elderly people should increase their intake of antioxidants to fight the process. Researchers have already demonstrated that high-dose supplementation with vitamin A, vitamin E, beta carotene and zinc slows down the rate at which the ailment progresses. According to the article, the basis for this idea was backed up in a report from the Journal of the American Medical Association that focused on new AMD cases in elderly people in the Netherlands.
The Rotterdam Study focused on 10,000+ people aged at least 55 years old who live in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Some of the findings follow:
According to the article, approximately two-thirds of the people who took part in the study were subjected to ophthalmologic tests at baseline and then had follow-up tests at 48-month intervals. The participants filled out a food questionnaire at baseline, which looked at their eating habits, supplement intake and any prescribed diets. Then the participants were interviewed by a dietician. The findings were used to come up with total energy intake numbers and nutrient intake daily tallies.
According to the article, data on things such as alcohol consumption, smoking, lipid levels, body mass index, blood pressure and a test for atherosclerosis was collected at baseline.
According to the article, the average follow up of those who took part in the study was eight years. During the follow-up phase, 560 participants (13%) were diagnosed with AMD. Those who had developed the eye condition were a bit older than those who were AMD-free, had smoked more cigarettes and had higher cholesterol counts.
The risks of coming down with AMD was tabulated in relation to the use of antioxidant nutrients. The article noted, among other things, that trends were seen for certain carotenoids, despite the fact that the only statistically substantial links were obvious for intake of zinc, vitamin E and iron.
This article is brought to you by PreserveMacForte.com.
Reference: http://www.newsfix.ca/2013/07/31/lowering-your-risk-of-age-related-macular-degeneration/