I am passing on this tidbit from a press release (3/28/06) from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, an affiliate of Harvard. I was digging through some newsletters, actually to research my novel, i.e., do my OTHER work. But I’m always always finding things to share on the Fertility Blog.
Quick summary: these bad health habits really take a toll on the old peepers. BUT you can stop things like age-related macular degeneration by eating a diet rich in anti-oxidants and by taking–you guessed it–fish oil. They’re also saying that having these sick (eventually blind) eyes, is also a marker of INFLAMMATION. Anyone see a pattern here?
Sick Eyes May Occur in Sick Bodies Related to Smoking, Obesity and Other Unhealthy Behaviors
Contact: Mary E. Leach,
(617) 573-4170
Boston ( March 21, 2006) – People who have elevated levels of the amino acid homocysteine (HCY) and high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in their blood, both of which are systemic markers of cardiovascular disease and inflammation, may be at an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), while those who engage in healthy behaviors, such as not smoking and eating a diet rich in certain vitamins and fish oils, may decrease their risk of developing this blinding disease, according to a study that is available online now in the journal Nutrition (to be printed in the April issue).
Lead author Johanna M. Seddon, M.D., director of Epidemiology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and an associate professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, and her colleagues previously reported that systemic markers of inflammation, including serum levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein, are associated with both prevalent and incident AMD (JAMA 2004, Arch Ophthalmol 2005). They also found an association between plasma homocysteine and AMD (Am J Ophthalmol 2006). A decade ago they reported the increased risk of AMD with cigarette smoking (JAMA 1996), and the decreased risk of this disease related to dietary intake of carotenoids and foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin (JAMA 1994). They also found in several of their study cohorts that fish intake appears beneficial and reduces risk of AMD (Arch Ophthalmol 2001, 2003, 2006, in press), and high body mass index or obesity is also a risk factor (Arch Ophthalmol 2003).
In the most recent article in the journal Nutrition, Seddon and collaborators refine and expand upon their earlier findings and show that these risk and preventive factors for AMD are related to both the inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein (CRP), as well as the cardiovascular biomarker, homocysteine (HCY). These results shed light on the mechanisms whereby certain behaviors, such as smoking, are harmful, and others, including eating carotenoid-rich foods, as well as fish, are beneficial.
They found that higher levels of serum antioxidants vitamin C and lutein/zeaxanthain and higher fish intake were associated with lower serum CRP levels, whereas serum vitamin E, smoking and increased body mass index were associated with increased CRP. Serum vitamin E and dietary intake of antioxidants and vitamin B6 were associated with lower levels of plasma HCY, whereas hypertension was associated with increased HCY. They concluded that C-reactive protein and HCY levels are related to traditional dietary and behavioral factors associated with AMD.
AMD is the leading cause of irreversible visual impairment and blindness among persons aged 60 and older. With the elderly population steadily growing, the burden related to this loss of visual function will increase. Limited treatment options exist and prevention remains the best approach for addressing this public health concern.
Nine hundred and thirty four individuals of the 1,026 who were participating in an ancillary study of the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) at two clinical centers, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (Boston, Mass.) and Devers Eye Institute (Portland, Ore.), underwent questionnaires, measurements and photographs of the macula and had blood specimens drawn in 1996-1997 after AREDS randomization for this study to assess biomarkers. Dietary, behavioral and medical risk and protective factors for the entire group were evaluated for their association with blood values of CRP and HCY. In addition, serum nutrient values obtained from the Devers Eye Institute were evaluated for their association with CRP and HCY. The results were adjusted for age, gender and AREDS treatment.
“AMD is associated with immune, inflammatory and other cardiovascular mechanisms, and these results emphasize the need to adhere to healthy lifestyles for your eyes and your body overall,†Dr. Seddon advised.
This research was funded by grants from the National Institute of Health, the National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD; the Epidemiology Unit Research Fund of the MEEI, Boston; the Good Samaritan Foundation, Portland, Ore; and Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, NY.
Related posts:
