|
|
||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1From the Clinical Trials Branch, Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, and the 3Office of the Clinical Director, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; 2The EMMES Corporation, Rockville, Maryland; and the 4Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
PURPOSE. Increased dietary intake of lutein/zeaxanthin and
-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (
-3 LCPUFA) was found to be associated with reduced risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of oral supplementation of
-3 LCPUFA on changes in serum levels of lutein/zeaxanthin during supplementation in persons 60 years of age and older, with or without AMD.
METHODS. Forty participants with AMD of various degrees of severity received lutein (10 mg) and zeaxanthin (2 mg) daily and were equally randomized to receive
-3 LCPUFA (350 mg docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] and 650 mg eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]) or placebo for 6 months. Serum levels of lutein, zeaxanthin, and
-3 LCPUFAs and macular pigment optical densities were measured at baseline, 1 week, and 1, 3, 6, and 9 months.
RESULTS. By month 6, the median serum levels of lutein/zeaxanthin increased by two- to threefold compared with baseline. Increases in serum levels of lutein/zeaxanthin did not differ by
-3 LCPUFA treatment (P > 0.5). After 1 month, in the
-3 LCPUFA-treated group, the median levels of DHA and EPA increased and the placebo group had no changes. At month 6, participants with AMD had a lower increase in serum lutein concentration than did those without AMD (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS. The addition of
-3 LCPUFA to oral supplementation of lutein/zeaxanthin did not change the serum levels of lutein and zeaxanthin. A long-term large clinical trial is necessary to investigate the benefits and adverse effects of these factors for the treatment of AMD.
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |