10/23/2007

Increased intake of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin may be associated with a lower risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Ophthalmology (2007;125:1225-1232). The study—supported by the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health and Bausch & Lomb—looked at the relationship of dietary carotenoids, vitamin A, alpha-tocopherols and vitamin C with prevalent AMD in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).

The AREDS Research Group assessed demographic, lifestyle and medical characteristics of 4,519 adults aged 60 to 80 when they enrolled in 1992 through 1998. Comparing the highest vs. lowest quintiles of intake, researchers found dietary lutein/zeaxanthin intake was inversely associated with neovascular AMD, geographic atrophy, and large or extensive intermediate drusen (yellow or white deposits on the retina or optic nerve head that are a sign of AMD), after adjusting for total energy intake and non-nutrient-based variables. They found no such associations between other nutrients and AMD.

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