Sunday, December 5, 2010

(Fish + AREDS Supplements) vs ARMD

We've known for a while that we should eat fish regularly to protect our hearts.  There's also mounting evidence that adding fish to our list of protein sources will also help minimize our dementia risk.  As if you needed another reason to consume our fishy friends, out pops a study published this month concluding that fish consumption decreases one's risk for age related macular degeneration (ARMD), the most common form of blindness in the elderly.

The authors came to this conclusion after evaluating fish & shellfish consumption frequency in 2,520 participants. Therefore, the weakness of this study is it's associative nature, rather causal.  It is also a retrospective cross sectional study, rather than a prospective randomized double blind placebo controlled study.  Again, nothing against the study, just be aware of its limitations.  Use it as a jumping off point for a larger study with proper controls & procedures in place.

But for those of us who can't wait, consider adding fish to our daily dose of AREDS (age related eye disease study) supplements available over-the-counter from different manufacturers.  After all, there's no down side.  And besides, you're already eating fish for your heart & brain, right?  Don't forget to check the Amsler grid regularly.

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