Evidence is mounting that a poor diet plays an important role in the development of agerelated macular degeneration (AMD). A large collaboration of researchers from the European Union investigating the connection between genes and lifestyle on the development of AMD have found that people who adhered to a Mediterranean diet cut their risk of late-stage AMD by 41 per cent. This research expands on previous studies and suggests that such a diet is beneficial for everyone, whether you already have the disease or are at risk of developing it.
A Mediterranean diet emphasises eating less meat and more fish, vegetables, fruits, legumes, unrefined grains, and olive oil. Previous research has linked it to a longer lifespan and a reduced incidence of heart disease and cognitive decline. But only a few studies have evaluated its impact on AMD. Some studies showed it could help with certain types of AMD, or only at different stages of the disease.
I believe this is a public health issue on the same scale as smoking
When this earlier research on AMD was combined with the latest data, researchers said a clear picture emerged: diet has the potential to prevent a blinding disease.
AMD is a degenerative eye disease that causes loss of central vision. Around one in seven Australians – or 1.29 million people – over the age of 50 years has some evidence of this disease.
For this latest study, researchers analysed food frequency questionnaires from nearly 5,000 people who participated in two previous investigations – the Rotterdam Study, which evaluated disease risk in people age 55 and older, and the Alienor Study, which assessed the association between eye diseases and nutritional factors in people aged 73 and older.
Patients in the Rotterdam study were examined and completed food questionnaires every five years over a 21 year period, while patients in the Alienor Study were seen every two years over four years. The researchers found that those who closely followed the diet were 41 per cent less likely to develop AMD compared with those who did not follow the diet.
They also found that none of the individual components of a Mediterranean diet on their own – fish, fruit, vegetables, etc. – lowered the risk of AMD. Rather, it was the entire pattern of eating a nutrient-rich diet that significantly reduced the risk of late AMD.
“You are what you eat,” said Dr. Emily Chew, a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, who serves on an advisory board to the research group conducting the study. “I believe this is a public health issue on the same scale as smoking. Chronic diseases such as AMD, dementia, obesity, and diabetes, all have roots in poor dietary habits. It’s time to take quitting a poor diet as seriously as quitting smoking.”
The new research was published online in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
