HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids and Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Study Abstract

Purpose
To determine the relationship between fish and shellfish consumption and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) status in the Salisbury Eye Evaluation (SEE) Study participants.

Design
A cross-sectional study of dietary and ophthalmologic data.

Participants
A random sample of 2520 Salisbury, Maryland, residents aged 65 to 84 years.

Methods
A food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate weekly fish/shellfish consumption for each participant. Age-related macular degeneration status was determined from fundus photographs obtained at baseline and graded by 2 masked readers for drusen size, retinal pigment epithelium abnormalities, geographic atrophy (GA), and choroidal neovascularization (CNV). The association between weekly fish/shellfish intake and risk of AMD was investigated using logistic regression while adjusting for risk factors and correlation between eyes.

Main Outcome Measures
Status of AMD.

Results
The distribution of weekly fish/shellfish consumption was not different between specific AMD categories compared with controls (P = 0.6, 0.7, and 0.7 for large drusen, pigment abnormalities, and advanced AMD compared with controls, respectively). Those with advanced AMD (CNV or GA) were significantly less likely to consume fish/shellfish high in omega-3 fatty acids (odds ratio 0.4; confidence interval, 0.2–0.8). There was no relationship of AMD with intake of crab and oysters combined, each of which has high levels of zinc.

Conclusions
These data support a protective effect of fish/shellfish intake against advanced AMD.

From press release:

Researchers at Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, wanted to know how the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) would be affected in a population of older people who regularly ate fish and seafood, since some varieties are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. A diet rich in omega-3s probably protects against advanced AMD, the leading cause of blindness in whites in the United States, according to the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and other recent studies. High concentrations of omega-3s have been found in the eye's retina, and evidence is mounting that the nutrient may be essential to eye health.

The new research, led by Sheila K. West, PhD, was part of the Salisbury Eye Evaluation (SEE) study.

Food intake information with details on fish and shellfish consumed was collected over one year using a validated questionnaire for 2,391 participants aged 65 to 84 years who lived along Maryland's Eastern Shore. After dietary assessment was complete, participants were evaluated for AMD. Those with no AMD were classified as controls (1,942 persons), 227 had early AMD, 153 had intermediate-stage disease, and 68 had advanced AMD. In the advanced AMD group, the macular area of the retina exhibited either neovascularization (abnormal blood vessel growth and bleeding) or a condition called geographic atrophy. Both conditions can result in blindness or severe vision loss.

"Our study corroborates earlier findings that eating omega-3-rich fish and shellfish may protect against advanced AMD." Dr. West said. "While participants in all groups, including controls, averaged at least one serving of fish or shellfish per week, those who had advanced AMD were significantly less likely to consume high omega-3 fish and seafood," she said.

The study also looked at whether dietary zinc from crab and oyster consumption impacted advanced AMD risk, but no significant relationship was found. Zinc is also considered protective against AMD and is included in an AMD-vitamin/nutrient supplement developed from the AREDS study. Dr. West speculated that her study found no effect because the levels of zinc obtained from seafood/fish were low compared to supplement levels.

A side note: fish and shellfish were part of the normal diet of the study population, rather than added with the intention of improving health. The links between fish consumption, omega-3s and healthy lifestyles were not widely known in the early 1990s when the dietary survey was conducted. In fact, some of the study participants who consumed the most seafood were also smokers and/or overweight, two factors usually associated with AMD and other health risks.

Study Information

Bonnielin K. Swenor, Susan Bressler, Laura Caulfield, Sheila K. West.
The Impact of Fish and Shellfish Consumption on Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
Ophthalmology,
2010 December
Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.