A fishy solution to age-related macular degeneration


A report produced in the December issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition may have found a simple way to deter the disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The solution, they believe, lies in the consumption of fish on a regular basis to keep our omega-3 fatty acid levels topped up.

The report was produced by the National Eye Institute in Maryland, U.S., and found that those who consumed omega-3 fatty acids were 30% less likely to develop the disease in an advanced stage during the next 12 years. With AMD being one of the leading causes of impaired and lost vision, this solution seems a simple one, but why? AMD comes in two forms, dry and wet and in both cases the retina is severely affected. In the dry form some of the tissue in the retina begins to disappear, and in the wet form abnormal blood vessels are produced in the macula (part of the retina). Therefore, as inflammation is perhaps a key contributor to both types of AMD, Omega-3 has anti-inflammatory properties which could help subdue the development of the disease.

With there being no absolute solution to either forms of AMD and several ways to suppress the disease, if these reports are proven and tested further, then scientists of Maryland may have found a cheap, simple and effective solution to unnecessary drugs and trips to the hospital.

29th December 2009

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