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It is becoming increasingly evident that a poor diet plays an important role in the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the United States. Extensive collaboration of researchers from the European Union on the link between genes and lifestyle on the development of AMD revealed that people who adhered to a Mediterranean diet reduced by 41% their risk of developing AMD terminal. This research builds 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. The new search is now online in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
A Mediterranean diet insists that you have to eat less meat and more fish, vegetables, fruits, legumes, unrefined grains and olive oil. Previous research has associated with a longer life span and a reduction in the incidence of heart disease and cognitive decline. But only a few studies have evaluated its impact on AMD. Some studies have shown that it can help with certain types of AMD, or only at different stages of the disease.
But by combining this earlier research on AMD with the latest data, a clear picture appears. The diet has the potential to prevent blinding disease.
AMD is a degenerative eye disease. This results in a loss of central vision, essential for simple daily activities, such as the ability to see faces, to drive, to read and to write. It is a major cause of vision loss in people aged 50 and over, affecting 1.8 million Americans. By 2020, this number is expected to reach nearly 3 million.
For this latest study, researchers analyzed food frequency questionnaires from nearly 5,000 people who had participated in two previous surveys: the Rotterdam study, which assessed the risk of illness among people aged 55 and over , and the Alienor study, which evaluated the association between eye diseases. and nutritional factors in people aged 73 and over. Patients from the Rotterdam study were screened and completed food questionnaires every five years over a 21-year period, while patients from the Alienor study were reviewed every two years over a period of 4 years. The researchers found that those who followed the diet were 41% less likely to develop AMD than those who did not.
They also found that none of the individual components of a Mediterranean diet – fish, fruits, vegetables, and so on. – did not reduce the risk of AMD. Rather, it is the whole diet of nutrient-rich diet that has significantly reduced the risk of late AMD.
"You are what you eat," said Emily Chew, MD, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, who sits on the advisory board of the research group in charge of the study. "I think it's a public health issue just like smoking." Chronic diseases such as AMD, dementia, obesity, and diabetes are all rooted in poor eating habits, it's time to stop eating healthy and smoking. "
There are two types of AMD: dry and wet. The dry type affects about 80 to 90% of people with AMD. In dry AMD, small white or yellowish deposits, called drusen, form on the retina, damaging it over time. In the wet form, the blood vessels grow under the retina and leak. Although there is an effective treatment for the wet type, there is no cure for dry AMD.
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Material provided by American Academy of Ophthalmology. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
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