The latest follow-up to the Age-Related Eye Diseases Study continues to show "beneficial effects" of antioxidants and zinc as therapy for age-related macular degeneration, according to Emily Y. Chew, the study chairwoman at the National Eye Institute.

"If all 8 million Americans at high risk for AMD took supplements, over 300,000 could be saved from AMD in the next five years," Chew, deputy director of NEI's Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Resources, said Jan. 16 during a workshop on nutritional therapies for age-related eye diseases.

AREDS was launched 10 years ago and its results were released in 2001. The study showed high-dose antioxidant vitamins and minerals - vitamins C, E, beta-carotene, zinc and copper - reduced the risk of progression of advanced AMD by 25 percent and the risk of moderate vision loss by 19 percent (Also see "Bausch & Lomb OcuVite Line Extension Used In Natl. Eye Institute Study" - Pink Sheet, 15 October, 2001., p. 3).

Chew also heads AREDS II, a Phase III clinical trial to determine if a modified combination of nutrients and fish oil can further slow the progression of AMD, the leading cause of vision loss in the U.S. for people more than 60 years old. Researchers enrolled about 3,000 participants, plan to reach 4,000 this year and to conclude the study in 2013 ('The Tan Sheet' Jan. 9, 2006, In Brief).

Following the workshop at a National Institutes of Health facility in Bethesda, Md., Chew talked with "The Tan Sheet" about AREDS II.

AREDS II provides lutein and zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA as therapy (see Also see "Researchers Eye Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Vitamin E To Reduce Cataracts" - Pink Sheet, 21 January, 2008. ).

Chen said while AREDS indicated "lutein/ zeaxanthin dietary intake (is) associated with decreased risk" of AMD symptoms, AREDS II aims to confirm that.

AREDS results "were observational data, meaning that is not part of the clinical trial. We cannot infer from these data that lutein works, so that is why we are testing it in our new AREDS II clinical trial," she said.

According to NEI, 7 million people in the U.S. are at risk of developing AMD, and 1.75 million have advanced stages of the condition.

- Joe Cantlupe

Antioxidants Continue To Show Benefits In AREDS Follow-Up

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