Fish Oil Again Shows Potential Benefit for Eye Health

by | Aug 25, 2008 | 2008, Eye Health, Fish Oil Supplements, Macular Degeneration

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. 

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible visual impairment and blindness in the U.S. (1). The condition causes vision loss in more than 200,000 Americans every year (2) and is expected to increase to 3 million cases over the next 20 years (3). The only two known risk factors for AMD are cigarette smoking and advancing age (4). There is no cure for AMD, so preventive measures are a priority.

Researchers analyzed nine studies of nearly 89,000 patients examining fish oil’s role in eye health and AMD. When looking at fish intake, they found that eating fish at least twice a week produced a 24% reduced risk of early stage AMD and a 33% reduced risk of late stage AMD. Unfortunately, exact intakes were not provided to be able to recommend dosage amounts for an eye-health benefit from fish oil.

While the researchers state that “high dietary intakes of omega-3 fatty acids and fish are associated with a reduced risk of both early and late AMD”, they caution that these results are not based on randomized controlled trials which are the most objective experiment design and most able to provide efficacy of a treatment (5). Since no RCTs exist looking at omega-3 fats and AMD, a definitive recommendation for “routine consumption” of omega-3 fats and eye health and AMD should not be made.

Source: Chong ЕW-Т, Kreis AJ, and T. Y. Wong. “Dietary-3 Fatty Acid and Fish Intake in the Primary Prevention of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.” Arch Ophthalmol 126, no. 6 (2008): 826-833.

© 2008 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.

Posted August 25, 2008.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at mailto:PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at
www.CompleteChiropracticHealthcare.com

References:

  1. National Advisory Eye Council. Vision Research—A National Plan: 1999-2003, Vol. 1. A Report of the National Advisory Eye Council. Bethesda, Md: National Institutes of Health; 1999. NIH publication 98-4120.
  2. National Institutes of Health National Eye Institute and Prevent Blindness America. Vision Problems in the US: Prevalence of Adult Vision Impairment and Age-Related Eye Disease in America. Schaumburg, Ill: Prevent Blindness America; 2002.
  3. Eye Disease Prevalence Research Group. Prevalence of age-related macular degeneration in the United States. Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122:564-572.
  4. Mitchell P, Wang JJ, Smith W, Leeder S. Smoking and the 5-year incidence of age-related maculopathy. Arch Ophthalmol. 2002;120:1357-1363.
  5. Sibbald B.  Understanding controlled trials: Why are randomised controlled trials important?  BMJ 1998;316:201 posted on the BMJ website.