London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Eating oily fish once a week may reduce age-related macular degeneration
(AMD) which is the major cause of blindness and poor vision in adults in
western countries and the third cause of global blindness, according to
a study published today in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
There are two types of AMD, wet and dry. Of the two, wet AMD is the main
cause of vision loss. A team of researchers across seven European
countries and co-ordinated by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
sought to investigate the association between fish intake and omega 3 fatty
acids with wet AMD, comparing people with wet AMD with controls. Participants were
interviewed about their dietary habits including how much fish they ate and what type.
Information on the main omega 3 fatty acids (docosahexaenoicacid (DHA) and
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was obtained by linking dietary data with food
composition tables.
The findings show that people who habitually consume oily fish at least
once a week compared with less than once a week are 50% less likely to
have wet AMD. There was no benefit from consumption of non oily white fish.
There was a strong inverse association between levels of DHA and EPA and
wet AMD. People in the top 25% of DHA and EPA levels (300 mg per day and
above) were 70% less likely to have wet AMD.
Astrid Fletcher, Professor of Epidemiology at the London School of
Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who led the study, commented: "This is the first
study in Europeans to show a beneficial association on wet AMD from the
consumption of oily fish and is consistent with results from studies in
the USA and Australia. Two 3oz servings a week of oily fish, such as salmon,
tuna or mackerel, provides about 500 mg of DHA and EPA per day".
The research team is not, however, recommending omega 3 supplements as
the study did not investigate whether supplements would have the same
benefit as dietary sources.
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The EUREYE study was funded by the European Commission with additional
support from the Macular Disease Society UK and the Thomas Pocklington
Trust.
To contact Astrid Fletcher, please call the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine on 0207 927 2802 / 07828 617 901 or email [email protected]