A recent study conducted by the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) Research Group has determined that people who eat more than one 4-oz. portion of fish per week have a lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The results of this study, “The Relationship of Dietary Lipid Intake and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in a Case-Control Study,” were published in the May 2007 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
Researchers determined habitual nutrient intake via a questionnaire given to age-related eye disease study participants spanning in ages from 60 to 80 years old. The results of the survey showed that dietary omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intake was inversely associated with AMD, and that higher fish consumption—both total and broiled and/or baked—was also inversely associated with AMD.
The subjects who ate the most fish (two or more servings of baked and/or broiled fish per week) had nearly a 40% lower risk of developing AMD compared to subjects who ate the least amount of fish. This led the researchers to conclude that higher intake of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and fish are associated with decreased likelihood of having AMD.
