Trio of Supplements Benefit Eye Health in the Early Stage of Disease

by | Dec 19, 2013 | 2005, Carnitine, CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10), Eye Health, Macular Degeneration, Omega - 3

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. The combination of acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, and omega-3 fatty acids on patients with age-related macular degeneration improved vision by 37% and visual sharpness by 9%. 

Age-related macular degeneration affects 11 million Americans at a cost of $51 billion per year. An additional 733 million people worldwide experience “low vision”, costing $3 trillion per year (1). Fortunately, research conducted in the 1990’s concluded age-related macular degeneration to be “a nutrition-responsive disease” (2, 3) and has helped explain why lutein (4), resveratrol (5), superoxide dismutase (6), and zeaxanthin (7) have been shown to help maintain eye health.

Now a new study (8) suggests another trio of supplements may help age-related macular degeneration. The study included 106 caucasian patients between the ages of 55 and 70 and diagnosed with early age-related macular degeneration in both eyes, with the most affected of the two eyes having a score between 0.8 and 0.4 on the Snellen decimal eye chart. For 6 months, they were given either:

  • 100 milligrams of Aceytl-L-Carnitine, 530 mg of omega-3 fatty acids, and 10 mg of CoQ10 per day (51 patients)
  • Placebo (soy oil = 55 patients)

Supplementation was then discontinued and the patients were followed up for another 6 months to see if the effects of supplementation remained. The dosage of the supplements was chosen based on previous research (9).

At the end of 6 months, researchers conducted a test called visual field mean deficit in both eyes. They found that while there was no difference between the 2 groups in the eye with more macular degeneration, a significant benefit was seen in the eye with less macular degeneration. Specifically, those in the supplement group saw a 37.3% improvement in visual field mean deficit (0.49-decibel increase (-1.8 to -1.13 decibels)) compared to a minimal worsening in the placebo group (0.01-decibel decrease) (p = 0.023). Just as encouraging, those in the supplement group saw a further 8.1% improvement in the next 6 months without supplementation (0.04-decibel decrease (-1.13 to -1.09)) compared to a 22.9% decrease in the placebo group (-1.7 to -2.09 decibels) (p = 0.004).

When looking at visual acuity with the Snellen eye test, those in the supplement group saw a 9% improvement after 6 months (0.55 to 0.60) compared to a 3.7% decrease in the placebo group (0.55 to 0.53). While the treatment group’s improvements were maintained after six months of supplementation (0.60 at month 12), there was a further 1.9% deterioration in the placebo group (0.53 to 0.52) (p = 0.012).

When suggesting how the supplementation improved eye function, the researchers pointed to studies showing acetyl-L-carnitine, omega-3 fatty acids and CoQ10 to improve function of the energy-producing component of the cell, the mitochondrion (10, 11) while also improving how cells use calcium (12), both of which improve overall function of specific cells in the eye called retinal pigment epithelium.

For the researchers, “treatment of early age-related macular degeneration with a combination of acetyl-L-carnitine, omega-3 fatty acids, and CoQ10 may improve visual functions” but admit that “although our results have immediate clinical significance for treating early age-related macular degeneration, further studies are certainly needed to support this hypothesis, but first of all, to learn more on the pathophysiology of age-related macular degeneration.”

Source: Feher, J., et al. “Improvement of visual functions and fundus alterations in early age-related macular degeneration treated with a combination of acetyl-L-carnitine, n-3 fatty acids, and coenzyme Q10.” Ophthalmologica 219.3 (2005): 154-166.

Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

 Posted December 19, 2013.

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

References:

  1. “Facts on Macular Degeneration” posted on BrightFocus Foundation website.
  2. Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study Group. Multicenter ophthalmic and nutritional age-related macular degeneration studydPart 1: Design, subjects and procedures. J Am Optom Assoc 1996;67:12-29.
  3. Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study Group. Multicenter ophthalmic and nutritional age-related macular degeneration study part 2: antioxidant intervention & conclusions. J Am Optom Assoc 1996; 67:30-49.
  4.  Seddon JM, Ajani UA, Sperduto RD, et al. Dietary carotenoids, vitamins A, C, and E, and advanced age-related macular degeneration. JAMA. 1994;272:1413-1420.
  5. Progression of age-related macular degeneration: association with dietary fat, transunsaturated fat, nuts, and fish intake.Arch Ophthalmol. 2003 Dec;121(12):1728-37.
  6. Reddy VN. SOD2 Protects against Oxidation-Induced Apoptosis in Mouse Retinal Pigment Epithelium: Implications for Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2005 46: 3426-3434.
  7. Richer SP. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of zeaxanthin and visual function in patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration. Optometry 2011; 82(11); 667-680.
  8. Feher J.  Improvement of Visual Functions and Fundus Alterations in Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treated with a Combination of Acetyl- L -Carnitine, n-3 Fatty Acids, and Coenzyme Q10.  Ophthalmologica 2005 May-Jun;219(3):154-66.
  9. Feher J, Papale A, Mannino G, Gualdi L, Balacco Gabrieli C: Mitotropic compounds for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration: The metabolic approach and a pilot study. Ophthalmologica 2003; 217: 351–357.
  10. Barzanti V, Battino M, Baracca A, Cavazzoni M, Cocchi M, Noble R, Maranesi M, Tur chetto E, Lenaz G: The effect of dietary lipid changes on the fatty acid composition and function of liver, heart and brain mitochondria in the rat at different ages. Br J Nutr 1994; 71: 193–202.
  11. Demaison L, Sergiel JP, Moreau D, Grynberg A: Infl uence of the phospholipid n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio on the mitochondrial oxidative metabolism before and after myocardial ischemia. Biochim Biophys Acta 1994; 1227: 53–59.
  12. Pepe S: Mitochondrial function in ischaemic and reperfusion of the ageing heart. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2000; 27: 745–750.