Antioxidants lower macular degeneration risk

A report published in the December 28, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that individuals whose diets contain high amounts of the antioxidants beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc have a significantly lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) than people whose diets contain lower levels of the nutrients. Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of permanent blindness in the developed world.

The current study included 4,176 men at women at risk of AMD who were participants in the Rotterdam Study, which enrolled 7,983 men and women aged 55 or older. Five hundred-sixty subjects were diagnosed with new macular degeneration during the follow-up period. Participants with an above-median intake of all 4 nutrients, beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc, had a 35% reduced risk of AMD compared to those whose intake of any of the nutrients was below average.

The results of this study suggest that high dietary intakes of antioxidants, in particular vitamin E and zinc, may reduce the risk of AMD and delay its development.

JAMA 2005;294:3101-3107