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High-Dose Vitamins May Boost Macular Health: Presented at AAO
By K.L. Capozza
LAS VEGAS, NV -- November 16, 2006 -- A small study of high-dose dietary supplementation with beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, copper, lutein, and zeaxanthin shows a potential way to improve macular health in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration (DAMD).
The findings were presented here on November 14th at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting (AAO).
In a controlled pilot study of 20 patients, researchers led by John O. Mason, III, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology, University of Alabama Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, Birmingham, Alabama, evaluated the effect of this vitamin cocktail on patients with advanced DAMD, a leading cause of blindness in the United States.
The researchers compared 10 control eyes with 10 eyes placed on daily high-dose supplements containing 10,000 IU vitamin A, 125 mg vitamin C, 100 IU vitamin E, 55 mg zinc, 2 mg copper, 10 mg lutein, and 440 mg zeaxanthin.
A multifocal electroretinogram was used to gauge the overall health of the macula at baseline and 2 months after the start of vitamin supplementation. In addition, patients' visual acuity was recorded at baseline and at follow-up.
Results showed that the electroretinogram recordings from patients in the supplementation group showed a statistically significant improvement from baseline to the 3-month follow-up but remained unchanged in the control group.
In addition, visual acuity in patients on daily supplements showed a mean 3.1 letters of improvement at 3 months of follow-up but did not change in the control group.
"Nutritional supplements offer the greatest hope for slowing the progression of this debilitating disease that robs patients of their visual function and quality of life," said Dr. Mason and colleagues in a written statement.
The results, while intriguing, are highly preliminary and the study did not shed light on which ingredient (or ingredients) in the vitamin cocktail might be responsible for the effect.
The study was funded by Macular Health, LLC.
[Presentation title: Multifocal Electroretinogram Study of Patients Placed on Supplemental Vitamins, Minerals, and Carotenoids for Dry Macular Degeneration. Abstract PO716]
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