Eye doctors are encouraged to help AMD patients adopt healthy eating patterns—particularly a Mediterranean diet with a strong emphasis on high fish intake, a moderate emphasis on high vegetable intake and low red meat intake—as an essential way to slow disease progression at all stages. Adding AREDS2 supplements is recommended for individuals with intermediate or advanced AMD, and may be especially helpful for those with extrafoveal GA. Photo: Getty Images. Click image to enlarge.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) represents a growing global public health challenge, and diet is now recognized as a powerful modifiable determinant of its onset and course. Authors of a recent literature review summarized relevant data on what individuals with AMD should eat and to propose simple, evidence-based, dietary and micronutrient supplement guidelines that can be shared with patients and physicians and found that individuals with AMD should adopt a Mediterranean diet (or a similar plant-based pattern emphasizing minimally processed foods) is recommended for individuals at all stages of AMD. The findings were reported in American Journal of Ophthalmology.
Researchers reviewed literature on the associations between diet, oral micronutrient supplementation and AMD progression, synthesizing evidence by disease stage. Sources included the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS/AREDS2) in the United States and major epidemiologic and cohort studies in Europe and North America.
Adopting a Mediterranean diet is helpful at nearly every stage of AMD—especially for intermediate AMD, where high fish intake is particularly important—followed by high vegetable intake and low red meat intake. For those with advanced AMD with GA, the most influential components are abundant fruit and vegetable intake, reduced red meat intake and avoidance of heavy alcohol consumption, as this is associated with slower GA enlargement and slower progression towards the fovea.
In addition, the authors noted that “AREDS2 supplements remain a critical component of care for individuals with intermediate or advanced AMD, and may especially benefit those with extrafoveal GA.”
Importantly, the authors added, is that a healthy diet and supplementation have complementary actions and should be used together for maximal benefit. “Outside diet, smoking remains the most important modifiable risk factor for AMD, and smoking cessation should be emphasized at every disease stage,” they noted in their paper. “Other lifestyle measures, such as regular physical activity and weight control, may also be advisable, but the evidence linking smoking to AMD is stronger and more consistent.”
The Mediterranean diet also appears to be protective even in individuals with a high genetic risk of AMD, consistent with the idea of “eating away your risk,” the authors wrote in their paper. “AREDS analyses have suggested that a Mediterranean diet was protective against progression to late AMD even in those with a higher AMD genetic risk score, though it appears that a Mediterranean diet and high fish intake are each more strongly protective against progression to late AMD in those with protective alleles at the Complement Factor H.
These findings support the notion that dietary modification is a noninvasive intervention that empowers patients to protect their visual and systemic health, the researchers noted. “Physicians are encouraged to use ‘teachable moments,’ such as a new diagnosis, to introduce dietary guidance and support long-term adherence,” the authors concluded in their paper.
Click here for the journal source.
This article was developed by the editorial staff in conjunction with experts in the field. In the process, AI may have been among the editorial tools used to meet the goals of human editors, who approved all content.
Dining and Cooking