Eating More Omega-3s Is a Great ‘Eye’-dea

This past summer, I reported on a study out of Bethesda, Md. that said omega-3s could potentially cure blindness, age-related blindness, that is.  That headline is resurfacing today, this time based on a study from down under which found that omega-3s can reduce the risk of acquiring age-related blindness by as much as 35 percent!

Age-related blindness, or age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 60.  Over time, the eyes naturally lose their ability to see things quite as clearly as when they were younger.  But with AMD, not only do things become blurrier, but things become distorted, colors become less distinguishable, and blind spots begin to appear.  In its worst form, AMD can literally cause blindness.

While there’s no known treatment for AMD, scientists are discovering that natural foods and supplements can slow its progression.  Promising results have been found by supplementing with specific vitamins and minerals, like vitamin E, vitamin A and zinc.

But a recent study out of Australia has found that omega-3s may be the best natural treatment in preventing its onset.

For a period of 12 years, researchers from the University of Melbourne followed the diets of approximately 1,900 adults in their 50s and 60s.  They were all taking part in an age-related eye disease study.  The main thing the Australian researchers were concerned with was what these people were eating over 12 years.  The participants kept track of their dieting habits via a food frequency questionnaire.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers concluded that the incidence level for AMD was “lowest for those reporting the highest consumption of omega-3 fatty acids.”

Not moderately lower, either.  Try 35 percent lower for wet AMD and 32 percent lower for dry AMD!

Dry AMD is far more common than wet AMD, thankfully.  While both are terrible to get, wet AMD is far more progressive, as it involves the breaking and leaking of blood vessels in the back of the eye, leading to blind spots.  Dry AMD is when yellow deposits form under the eye called drusen.  This may be mistaken for the normal eye worsening associated with far-sightedness, but it’s actually a manifestation of AMD.

If you’re omega-3 consumption is low, it’s not too late to start increasing your omega-3 intake.  And it doesn’t take much.  The Australian researchers found that people with the lowest risk for omega-3s consumed very little—just 0.11 percent of their total caloric intake.

Fortunately, there are lots of sources for omega-3s.  Seafood sources are the most plentiful, but for seafood snobs, others include walnuts, flaxseeds, soybeans, tofu, and winter squash.

Yes, you can get them from supplements as well, but research from Norway found that people absorb omega-3s better after eating foods like salmon than from supplements like cod liver oil (i.e., EPA and DHA levels increased 129 percent and 45 percent, respectively, in those who ate salmon; they increased 106 percent and 25 percent, respectively, in those using cod liver oil).

Sources
nutraingredients.com
ehealtmd.com
whfoods.com