Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 12/26/07.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

New Ingredients In Drug-like Anti-aging Products Improve Skin - Science Daily, 12/28/07 - "skin surface irregularity can be improved through the topical application of niacin, while the appearance of fine lines can be diminished through the application of moisturizers containing engineered peptides and over-the-counter retinoids. Skin pigmentation can become more regular with the use of photoprotective ingredients. Furthermore, combining cosmeceutical ingredients in a moisturizing agent can magnify benefits and improve skin appearance"

Dark chocolate 'not so healthy' - BBC News, 12/24/07 - "Plain chocolate is naturally rich in flavanols, plant chemicals that are believed to protect the heart ... many manufacturers remove flavanols because of their bitter taste"

Cooking Veggies May Not Cut Nutrients - WebMD, 12/21/07 - "In some cases, the veggies lost antioxidants to cooking. But not all antioxidants decreased when cooked -- and in some cases, certain antioxidant levels rose when cooked"

Dietary fibre linked to better lung function - Nutra USA, 12/21/07 - "In terms of COPD risk, Han and co-workers report a 15 per cent lower risk for people with the highest versus lowest intakes of total fibre. In addition, the highest intake of cereal fibre was associated with a 17 per cent lower risk, while fruit fibre was associated with a 28 per cent lower risk" - [Abstract]

More support for omega-3 and weight management - Nutra USA, 12/21/07 - "Laboratory mice fed a high fat diet and supplemented with eight per cent fish oil gained less weight and metabolised more fat than their murine counterparts not receiving the supplement" - [Abstract] - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Vitamin B-12 Function May Be Diminished By Excessive Folate - Science Daily, 12/21/07 - "homocysteine and methylmalonic acid are at much higher levels in individuals who have a combination of vitamin B12 deficiency and high blood folate levels than in individuals who are also vitamin B12 deficient but have normal folate levels"

Green tea may cut prostate cancer risk - USATODAY.com, 12/20/07 - "those who drank five or more cups of green tea a day reduced their risk of having progressive prostate cancer by half, compared with those who drank a cup or less" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Low Antioxidant Level May Damage Fetal Neurons - Science Daily, 12/20/07 - "Fetal neurons that have low levels of a vital antioxidant, glutathione, are the first to die when exposed to alcohol in cell culture and possibly in the living brain"

Depletion Of One Antioxidant Linked To Parkinson's In Mice - Science Daily, 12/20/07 - "mice suffering from a depletion of the antioxidant glutathione in dopamine-producing neurons developed nerve damage and symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in humans"

• Getting More Glutathione? - Dr. Weil, 8/29/02 - "To my knowledge, the only supplement that effectively raises glutathione levels in the body is N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). My colleague Kathleen Johnson, a dietician here at the Program in Integrative Medicine, tells me that other glutathione supplements are ineffective because they’re digested before they can get into the bloodstream" - See n-acetyl cysteine at Amazon.com.

Maternal omega-3 consumption boosts offspring's coordination - Nutra USA, 12/20/07 - "Our results suggest that prenatal DHA availability, which can be influenced by maternal dietary DHA intake during pregnancy, can have an effect on quality of movement in later life" - [Abstract] - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Moderate Exercise May Cut Dementia Risk - WebMD,12/19/07- "Moderate physical activity (such as walking and climbing stairs) may help prevent dementia in people aged 65 and older"

How Much Fish Is Enough? - Medscape, 12/19/07 - "the American Heart Association recommends the equivalent of 1 gram of active omega-3 compounds (eicosapentaenoic [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acids [DHA]) ingested daily.[3] This amount can be obtained by consuming a 4-ounce serving of white albacore tuna, 2 to 3 ounces of salmon (pink or red), 2 ounces of herring, and 2 to 3 ounces of sardines daily. Alternatively, significantly higher quantities of shellfish would need to be consumed, including 8 or more ounces of crab, shrimp, and lobster daily.[3] For significant TG-lowering effects (20% reduction and greater), the amount of EPA/DHA required is considerably higher (ie, 2 to 4 grams daily) and exceedingly difficult to obtain unless a person consumes vast quantities of fish every day. Therefore, patients with CHD can get the omega-3 fatty acids needed from a diet rich in oily fish. Similarly, patients with TG levels in the borderline-elevated range (150-199 mg/dL) may reduce TG levels by approximately 10% with consumption of fish equivalent to 1 gram of EPA/DHA. However, with higher TG levels, and especially when levels exceed 500 mg/dL, a diet rich in fish is most likely to be insufficient for reducing TG levels to an acceptable range" - See Mega Twinlab Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Childhood Dairy Intake Linked to Colon Cancer - oncologystat.com, 12/19/07 - "Those who reported high levels of dairy during childhood were about 3 times more likely to develop colon cancer than those with low intake. A high intake was considered 2 or more cups a day, with a low intake being half a cup or less"

Excess folate worsens B12 deficiency effects: study - Nutra USA, 12/19/07 - "Finding that the combination of high blood folate levels and low vitamin B12 status is associated with even higher levels of these compounds is a strong indication that the high folate is interfering with the action of these B12-containing enzymes, thus resulting in the exacerbation or worsening of the vitamin B12 deficiency"

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the Medline ones at the top):

J Nutr. 2008 Jan;138(1):49-53Lycopene Inhibits Disease Progression in Patients with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia - J Nutr. 2008 Jan;138(1):49-53 - "Symptoms of the disease, as assessed via the International Prostate Symptom Score questionnaire, were improved in both groups with a significantly greater effect in men taking lycopene supplements. In conclusion, lycopene inhibited progression of BPH" - See Jarrow Lyco-Sorb (contains Lyco-O-Mato) at Amazon.com.

Docosahexaenoic Acid Supplementation Decreases Remnant-Like Particle-Cholesterol and Increases the (n-3) Index in Hypertriglyceridemic Men - J Nutr. 2008 Jan;138(1):30-35 - "Plasma remnant-like particle-cholesterol (RLP-C) and the RBC (n-3) index are novel risk factors for cardiovascular disease ... DHA supplementation for 45 d decreased (P < 0.05) fasting RLP-C (36%) and increased plasma eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA):arachidonic acid (AA) (100%) and the RBC (n-3) index (109%). Continued supplementation with DHA between d 45 and 91 further increased the RBC (n-3) index (162%) and plasma EPA:AA (137%) compared with baseline values. RLP-C concentration was positively associated (P < 0.01) with the plasma concentrations of triacylglycerols (Kendall's correlation coefficient or r = 0.46), triacylglycerol:HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) (r = 0.44), total cholesterol:HDL-C (r = 0.26), Apo B (r = 0.22), C III (r = 0.41), and E (r = 0.17), and 18:1(n-9) (r = 0.32); it was negatively associated (P < 0.05) with plasma concentrations of DHA (r = -0.32), EPA (r = -0.25), HDL-C (r = -0.21), LDL cholesterol:Apo B (r = -0.30), and HDL-C:Apo A"

The combination of epigallocatechin gallate and curcumin suppresses ERalpha-breast cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo - Int J Cancer. 2007 Dec 20 - "Tumor volume in the EGCG + curcumin treated mice decreased 49% compared to vehicle control mice (p < 0.05), which correlated with a 78 +/- 6% decrease in levels of VEGFR-1 protein expression in the tumors. Curcumin treatment significantly decreased tumor protein levels of EGFR and Akt, however the expression of these proteins was not further decreased following combination treatment. Therefore, these results demonstrate that the combination of EGCG and curcumin is efficacious in both in vitro and in vivo models of ERalpha- breast cancer and that regulation of VEGFR-1 may play a key role in this effect"

Renoprotective action of l-carnitine in fructose-induced metabolic syndrome - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007 Dec 17 - "l-carnitine (CA) administration ... The benefits of CA in this model suggest the therapeutic use of CA to counter the kidney changes associated with metabolic syndrome" - See l-carnitine at Amazon.com.

Effect of rosuvastatin on insulin sensitivity in an animal model of insulin resistance: Evidence for statin-induced hepatic insulin sensitization - Atherosclerosis. 2007 Dec 17 - "Taken together, these data suggest that statin-treatment increases whole body and peripheral tissue insulin sensitivity via improved cellular insulin signal transduction"

Anti-atherosclerotic properties of telmisartan in advanced atherosclerotic lesions in apolipoprotein E deficient mice - Atherosclerosis. 2007 Dec 17 - "These data suggest that chronic inhibition of the RAS by telmisartan prevails in reducing advanced atherosclerosis and promoting plaque stability over ramipril, possibly through the reduced activity of the pro-inflammatory transcription factors NFkappaB and Egr-1 and through the activation of PPARgamma"

Timing of Blood Pressure Measurement Related to Caffeine Consumption (January) - Ann Pharmacother. 2007 Dec 19 - "Reviews of caffeine's acute effect on blood pressure indicate changes of 3-15 mm Hg systolic and 4-13 mm Hg diastolic. Typically, blood pressure changes occur within 30 minutes, peak in 1-2 hours, and may persist for more than 4 hours"

Protective Effects of Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) Extract on KBrO3-Induced Kidney Damage in Mice - J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Dec 20 - "bilberry extract reduced the degree of oxidative stress and kidney damage induced by KBrO 3. These findings demonstrate that the protective effect of bilberry extract is attributed to its free radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation inhibitory effect" - See bilberry at Amazon.com.

Dietary Fiber, Lung Function, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study - Am J Epidemiol. 2007 Dec 5 - "Adjusted odds ratios of COPD for the highest versus lowest quintiles of intake were 0.85 (p = 0.044) for total fiber, 0.83 (p = 0.021) for cereal fiber, and 0.72 (p = 0.005) for fruit fiber. This study provides the first known evidence that dietary fiber is independently associated with better lung function and reduced prevalence of COPD"

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Is Inversely Associated With Circulating Interleukin-6 Among Middle-Aged Men. A Twin Study - Circulation. 2007 Dec 17 - "A 1-unit within-pair absolute difference in the diet score was associated with a 9% (95% CI, 4.5 to 13.6) lower interleukin-6 level"

Dietary fish oil upregulates intestinal lipid metabolism and reduces body weight gain in C57BL/6J mice - J Nutr. 2007 Dec;137(12):2629-34 - "These findings suggest that an upregulation of intestinal lipid metabolism is associated with the antiobesity effect of FO" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Relationship between long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids at birth and motor function at 7 years of age - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Dec 19 - "Our results suggest that prenatal DHA availability, which can be influenced by maternal dietary DHA intake during pregnancy, can have an effect on quality of movement in later life" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

VITAMIN D2 IS AS EFFECTIVE AS VITAMIN D3 IN MAINTAINING CIRCULATING CONCENTRATIONS OF 25-HYDROXYVITAMIN D - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Dec 18 - "1,000 IU of vitamin D2 daily was as effective as 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 in maintaining serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and did not negatively influence serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels. Therefore, vitamin D2 is equally as effective as vitamin D3 in maintaining 25-hydroxyvitamin D status" - That contradicts other studies.  I'd err on the safe side.  See:

• Vitamin D2 is much less effective than vitamin D3 in humans - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Nov;89(11):5387-91 - "Vitamin D(2) potency is less than one third that of vitamin D(3). Physicians resorting to use of vitamin D(2) should be aware of its markedly lower potency and shorter duration of action relative to vitamin D(3)"

Effects of calcium and vitamin D supplementation on hip bone mineral density and calcium-related analytes in elderly ambulatory Australian women: a 5-year randomized controlled trial - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Dec 18 - "Addition of vitamin D to calcium has long term beneficial effects on bone density in elderly women living in a sunny climate, probably mediated by a long term reduction in bone turnover rate"

Coffee, caffeine, and coronary heart disease - Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2007 Nov;10(6):745-51 - "Diterpenes present in unfiltered coffee and caffeine each appear to increase risk of coronary heart disease. A lower risk of coronary heart disease among moderate coffee drinkers might be due to antioxidants found in coffee"

Vitamin D and cardiovascular disease risk - Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2008 Jan;11(1):7-12 - "vitamin D deficiency may be a contributor to the development of cardiovascular disease potentially through associations with diabetes or hypertension"

Fruit and vegetable intake and head and neck cancer risk in a large United States prospective cohort study - Int J Cancer. 2007 Dec 18 - "Results from this large prospective observational study are consistent with previous case-control studies and support the hypothesis that total fruit and vegetable intake is associated with reduced risk of head and neck cancer"

Ascorbic Acid Decreases the Binding Affinity of the AT(1) Receptor for Angiotensin II - Am J Hypertens. 2008 Jan;21(1):67-71 - "Ascorbic acid decreases the binding affinity of the AT(1) receptor. These results offer a mechanistic explanation for the reported blood pressure lowering effect of ascorbic acid"

Health Focus (Macular Degeneration):

• Macular degeneration - Life Extension Foundation
• Macular degeneration - Vitacost Health Library
• Dietary carbohydrate and the progression of age-related macular degeneration: a prospective study from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Oct;86(4):1210-1218 - "The latter gives an estimate that 7.8% of new advanced AMD cases would be prevented in 5 y if people consumed the low-dGI diet"
• Limiting Refined Carbohydrates May Stall AMD Progression - Science Daily, 10/8/07 - "Our data showed those people in the high-glycemic-index group were at greater risk of AMD progression, especially those already in the late stages ... Participants who consumed the most refined carbohydrates were 17 percent more likely to develop blinding AMD than the group that consumed the least"
• Nutrients May Help Save Eyes - WebMD, 9/11/07 - "Those with the highest self-reported intake of foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin were 35% less likely than those with the lowest lutein and zeaxanthin intake to have "wet" age-related macular degeneration"
• Certain Nutrients Associated With Reduced Risk For Age-related Eye Disease - Science Daily, 9/10/07 - "If these cross-sectional results can be confirmed in prospective samples and experimental studies, lutein and zeaxanthin may be considered as useful agents in food or supplement-based interventions designed to reduce the risk of AMD"
• Zinc Linked To Macular Degeneration, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 8/27/07 - "In studying eye tissue samples, the researches found that deposits, that are hallmarks of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), contain large amounts of zinc ... The double-edged sword is that zinc has been found to enhance the immune system, but also could play a role in the advancement of macular degeneration"
• Lutein and Zeaxanthin review - ConsumerLab.com, 7/17/07
• Dietary Glycemic Index Tied to Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Medscape, 7/30/07
• High-Sugar Foods May Affect Eyesight - WebMD, 7/13/07 - "People with the diets highest on the glycemic index were the most likely to have advanced AMD in at least one eye"
• Link Between Carbohydrate Quality And Vision Loss Is Strengthened By New Data - Science Daily, 7/11/07 - "the risk for AMD may be diminished by improving dietary carbohydrate quality, as defined by dietary glycemic index. This may be achieved by relatively simple dietary alterations, such as replacing white bread with whole grain bread"
• Association between dietary glycemic index and age-related macular degeneration in nondiabetic participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jul;86(1):180-8 - "Compared with eyes in the first quintile of dGI, eyes in the fourth and fifth quintiles had a significantly or suggestively higher risk of large drusen, geographic atrophy, and neovascularization. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (95% CIs) for the highest quintile were 1.42 (1.09, 1.84), 1.78 (0.81, 3.90), and 1.41 (0.95, 2.08), respectively, of which only the odds ratio for large drusen was significant. A significant positive relation between dGI and severity of AMD was also noted (P for trend < 0.001). There was a 49% increase in the risk of advanced AMD (geographic atrophy plus neovascularization) for persons with a dGI higher than the sex median"
• Association Between Vitamin D and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988 Through 1994 - Arch Ophthalmol. 2007 May;125(5):661-669 - "The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for early AMD among participants in the highest vs lowest quintile of serum vitamin D was 0.64 ... This study provides evidence that vitamin D may protect against AMD" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Eating Fish May Preserve Eyesight - WebMD, 5/15/07
• Higher Intake Of Fish And Vitamin D Levels Linked To Lower Risk Of Age-related Macular Disease - Science Daily, 5/14/07 - "Individuals who have higher dietary intake of foods with omega-3 fatty acids and higher fish consumption have a reduced risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration, while those with higher serum levels of vitamin D may have a reduced risk of the early stages of the disease" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com and vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• High Dose Vitamins May Boost Macular Health - Doctor's Guide, 11/16/06 - "A small study of high-dose dietary supplementation with betacarotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, copper, lutein, and zeaxanthin shows that a potential way to improve macular health in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration"
• Low-Glycemic-Index Diet Slows AMD Progression - Medscape, 5/8/07 - "age-related macular degeneration (AMD) ... consumption of highly refined carbohydrates can lead to up to a 17% increased risk of AMD progression"
• Predictors of optical density of lutein and zeaxanthin in retinas of older women in the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease Study, an ancillary study of the Women's Health Initiative - Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Nov;84(5):1107-22 - "Macular pigment optical density (MPOD) was measured by heterochromatic flicker photometry ... MPOD is directly related to dietary intake of lutein and zeaxanthin but even more strongly to serum concentrations, which may reflect unmeasured physical and medical factors that influence the uptake, distribution, and utilization of lutein and zeaxanthin. Higher abdominal body fat and diabetes are related to lower MPOD"
• Exercise May Help Protect Against Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Medscape, 11/7/06 - "An active lifestyle reduced the risk for incident exudative AMD by 70% ... Increased walking of more than 12 blocks daily decreased the incidence of exudative AMD by 30% over 15 years"
• Protection for Aging Eyes - New Hope Natural Media Online, 8/31/06 - "A 40% reduction in the incidence of early age-related macular degeneration was associated with eating fish at least once a week; eating fish at least three times per week even reduced the incidence of late-stage age-related macular degeneration"
• Associations between intermediate age-related macular degeneration and lutein and zeaxanthin in the Carotenoids in Age-related Eye Disease Study (CAREDS): ancillary study of the Women's Health Initiative - Arch Ophthalmol. 2006 Aug;124(8):1151-62 - "Diets rich in lutein plus zeaxanthin may protect against intermediate AMD in healthy women younger than 75 years"
• Fish Oil May Help Save Your Eyes - WebMD, 7/10/06 - "men with the highest fish consumption (at least two weekly servings) were 45% less likely to have AMD than those with the lowest fish consumption (less than one weekly serving)"
• Dietary Fatty acids and the 5-year incidence of age-related maculopathy - Arch Ophthalmol. 2006 Jul;124(7):981-6 - "A 40% reduction of incident early ARM was associated with fish consumption at least once a week (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.58 [0.37-0.90]), whereas fish consumption at least 3 times per week could reduce the incidence of late ARM (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.25 [0.06-1.00]). We found no association between incident ARM and butter, margarine, or nut consumption"
• Loss of Central Vision with Age May Be Linked to Quality of Dietary Carbohydrates - Doctor's Guide, 6/6/06 - "Women who consumed diets with a relatively high dietary glycemic index had greater risk of developing signs of early age-related macular degeneration when compared with women who consumed diets with a lower dietary glycemic index"
• Nutritional Strategies for Preventing Age-Related Vision Loss - Life Extension Magazine, 5/06
• High Glycemic Index Diet May Increase Risk of Developing AMD - Medscape, 4/18/06 - "The age-adjusted model showed more than a 2-fold increase in risk for ARM for the third tertile of dietary GI"
• Fish Oil May Help Protect Against Retinal Degenerative Diseases - Science Daily, 4/6/06
• Diet, Lifestyle May Affect Eye Health - WebMD, 3/24/06 - "Eating healthfully, not smoking, and not being overweight could help keep age-related macular degeneration at bay"
• Dietary intake of antioxidants and risk of age-related macular degeneration - JAMA. 2005 Dec 28;294(24):3101-7 - "In this study, a high dietary intake of beta carotene, vitamins C and E, and zinc was associated with a substantially reduced risk of AMD in elderly persons"
• Healthy Diet May Help Seniors' Vision - WebMD, 12/27/05 - "People with above-average intakes of all four antioxidants were 35% less likely to develop AMD during the study ... Vitamin E and zinc stood out"
• Antioxidants Reduce Visual Acuity Loss in Patients with Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/26/05 - "The high-dose formulation has been shown to have beneficial effects in reducing by 25% the risk of advanced AMD ... The first group received three antioxidant vitamins: vitamin C 500 mg, vitamin E 400 IU, and beta carotene 15 mg. Group two received zinc oxide 80 mg, plus cupric acid 2 mg. The third group received the antioxidant vitamins plus the zinc and cupric oxide"
• AREDS II to Answer Questions Raised by AREDS - Doctor's Guide, 10/26/05 - "Lutein and omega-3 "are of particular interest because of the mounting epidemiologic data that suggests that nutrients are associated with a decreased risk of AMD"
• Plasma homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folate levels in age-related macular degeneration - Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2005 Sep 15;:1-5 - "Patients with both exudative and dry types of AMD had significantly higher plasma homocysteine levels ... Plasma vitamin B12 levels were found to be significantly lower in the exudative AMD group"
• Lutein, zeaxanthin appear to restore eye cell health - Nutra USA, 8/25/04
• Innovative Research and Applications for CoQ10 - Life Extension Magazine, 8/04 - "biomedical researchers are discovering that CoQ10 shows promising effects against disorders as far-ranging as kidney failure, heart disease, muscular dystrophy, and macular degeneration"
• Lutein may benefit more elderly than thought - Nutra USA, 7/27/04
• Broccoli compound may protect against AMD - Nutra USA, 7/15/04
• Broccoli May Prevent Blindness - WebMD, 7/13/04 - "sulforaphane, the naturally occurring antioxidant in broccoli and broccoli sprouts, protects the eye from damage caused by the sun's ultraviolet light"
• Fruit May Help Prevent Macular Degeneration - WebMD, 6/14/04 - "people who ate three or more servings per day of fruits had a 36% lower risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARM) compared those who ate less than one-and-a-half servings per day"
• The Role of Nutrition in Macular Degeneration - Life Extension Magazine, 5/04
• Lutein Improves Visual Function in Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Medscape, 4/8/04 - "Snellen equivalent visual acuity improved 5.4 letters in the lutein-only group and 3.5 letters in the lutein/antioxidant group. The lutein-only group also had a net subjective improvement in Amsler grid, and the lutein/antioxidant group had a nearly significant improvement in subjective glare recovery" - See iHerb or Vitacost lutein products.
• Lutein improves eyesight for AMD patients, suggests study - Nutra USA, 4/8/04
• In the Blink of an Eye - Health Supplement Retailer 11/03
• Fish Oil Benefits Your Eyes - WebMD, 5/8/03 - "Why might fish oil protect eyes from age-related macular degeneration? One component of fish oil is docosahexaenoic acid -- DHA for short. It's one of the omega-3 fatty acids linked to other health benefits. Interestingly, DHA builds up in the eye near light-sensing nerve cells"
• Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Reduce Risk of AMD - Medscape, 5/6/03 - "Dietary omega-3 fatty acids but not beta-carotene supplementation is associated with a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) ... omega-3 fatty acids may also reduce the risk of dry eye syndrome in women" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb or Vitacost.
• Increasing Retinal Antioxidant Levels Might Influence Macular Function - Doctor's Guide, 1/20/03
• Lutein Holds Promise for Cataract Sufferers - Health Supplement Retailer, 12/30/02 - "gave 17 cataract patients 15 mg of lutein (as 12 mg of all-trans-lutein and 3 mg of 13/15-cis-lutein present as mixed lutein esters) or 100 mg of vitamin E (as alpha-tocopherol) or a placebo three times per week for up to two years ... The lutein group also experienced improved visual acuity and glare sensitivity, while the vitamin group was found to experience only a maintenance in visual acuity and the placebo group a decrease" - Click here for the actual study.  See iHerb or Vitacost lutein products.
• Harvard Study Shows Zeaxanthin Good for AMD - Health Supplement Retailer, 11/11/02 - "Our studies showed that light damage was strongly influenced by the amount of zeaxanthin in the retina, and that significantly greater retinal protection was provided at dietary levels higher than those normally occurring in the diet"
• Macular Degeneration Epidemic - Life Extension Magazine, 5/02 - "AMD patients who have begun taking high-dose lutein supplements (4 mg or more per day) appear to return to 'normal' levels after a few months. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that a long-term deficiency of macular carotenoids may be associated with higher risk of AMD"
• The Aging Eye ...and what can be done to protect it - Life Extension Magazine, 2/02
• Antioxidants Plus Zinc May Prevent Age-Related Vision Loss - Intelihealth, 10/18/01
• Zinc, Antioxidants Prevent Some Forms of Vision Loss - WebMD, 10/12/01 - "people at risk of losing more sight due to a condition called "age-related macular degeneration" (AMD) could prevent further vision loss by taking a combination of zinc and antioxidants, including vitamins C and E and beta-carotene ... The antioxidants were taken once a day at a dose of 500 mg of vitamin C, 400 IU of vitamin E, and 15 mg of beta-carotene. Zinc was given as 80 mg of zinc oxide along with 2 mg of copper in the form of cupric oxide to prevent anemia, which can occur from too much zinc ... the high levels of dietary supplements that were taken in this study are very difficult to achieve from diet alone"
• Vitamin Regimen Can Prevent Blindness - Intelihealth, 10/12/01 - "High doses of antioxidant vitamins plus the mineral zinc can slow or even prevent vision loss in people with macular degeneration ... for those with intermediate disease, a daily vitamin supplement plus 80 milligrams of zinc reduced the risk of developing advanced disease by about 25 percent compared with a placebo ... Patients received 500 milligrams of vitamin C per day, along with 400 international units of vitamin E and 15 milligrams of beta-carotene ... High doses of zinc can cause anemia, but participants also took 2 milligrams of copper daily to counter that effect"
• Dietary Supplements Reduce Risk of Vision Loss From Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/12/01
• Study: Snacks May be Bad for Vision - Intelihealth, 8/15/01 - "Overindulging in fat-filled snack foods may heighten the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness and vision impairment in the United States for those over 55 ... The foods that contain these fats are highly processed, store-bought junk foods. Included in the study: margarine, chocolate, commercially prepared pie, cake, cookies, peanut butter, potato chips, french fries and nuts ... The study found that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids, found primarily in albacore tuna and salmon, could lessen the risk for age-related macular degeneration, as long as fish eaters maintain a low intake of linoleic acid (found in processed food and margarine)."
• Put Down Those Chips -- While You Can Still See Them - WebMD, 8/14/01

Other Macular Degeneration News:

• Triple Therapy Offers Lasting Improvement in Vision in Patients With Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 11/13/07
• Immune Cell Age Plays Role In Retinal Damage In Age-related Macular Degeneration - Science Daily, 11/1/07
• Inflammation Linked to Eye Disease - WebMD, 10/8/07 - "participants with the highest CRP levels at the study's start were 40% more likely to develop early-stage AMD during the study, compared to those with the lowest initial CRP levels"
• Treatment Advances in Age-related Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Macular Edema - Medscape, 6/19/07
• Drug Treatment Slows Macular Vision Loss in Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 12/15/06
• FDA OKs Macular Degeneration Drug - WebMD, 6/30/06
• Bevacizumab Continues to Show Strong Safety and Efficacy for Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/8/06
• Ranibizumab Appears Safe After 2-Year Use in Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/5/06
• No Association Between Cataracts and Macular Degeneration Seen in Large Study - Doctor's Guide, 5/5/06
• Triple Regimen Safe and Effective for Choroidal Neovascularization Associated With Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/2/06
• Biomarker For Age-related Macular Degeneration Found - Science Daily, 1/8/06 - "elevated homocysteine in the blood may be another biomarker for increased risk of AMD"
• Passive Smoking Almost Doubles Risk Of Degenerative Eye Disease - Science Daily, 1/3/06 - "Passive smoking almost doubles the risk of the progressively degenerative eye disease, age related macular degeneration"
• Implantable Miniature Telescope Improves Vision and Quality of Life in Patients with End-stage Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 11/1/05
• VISION Trials Provide Evidence Supporting Macugen for Treatment of Age-related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/26/05
• Quality of Life in Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/19/05
• Patients Benefit From Early Treatment in AMD - Medscape, 10/18/05
• Controversial Study Uses Avastin (Bevacizumab) to Treat Age-related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/18/05
• New Eye Drugs Treat Macular Degeneration - WebMD, 10/17/05
• Early Treatment of Macular Degeneration With Macugen May Help Patients Preserve Their Vision - Doctor's Guide, 10/6/05
• Treatment of Early Disease With Macugen (Pegaptanib Sodium Injection) May Further Reduce Risk of Vision Loss Associated With Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/5/05
• Excess Body Fat May Elevate Risk for Age-Related Eye Diseases - Doctor's Guide, 9/14/05 - "excess body fat may elevate one's risk for age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts ... if the body has too much adipose tissue, too much lutein and zeaxanthin remain there in storage and do not get to the eye where they are needed"
• Studies Shed Light On Role Of Melanin In Preventing Macular Degeneration - Science Daily, 7/29/05
• Lucentis (Ranibizumab) Appeared to Improve Vision in Patients With Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration When Used in Combination With Visudyne (Verteporfin) - Doctor's Guide, 7/18/05
• FDA Issues Approvable Letter for Retaane Suspension (Anecortave) for treatment of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/25/05
• Rheopheresis Procedure Safe and Effective in Patients With Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/5/05
• Evizon (Squalamine Lactate) May Provide Boost to Verteporfin Treatment in Patients With Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/5/05
• Review of Studies Shows Anecortave (Retaane) Safe in Treatment of Exudative Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/5/05
• Single Treatment with Photodynamic Therapy Still Beneficial for Patients with Age-related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/3/05
• Avastin Beneficial in Treating Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Small Study Shows - Doctor's Guide, 5/3/05
• Triamcinolone Injections Slightly Better than Vitrectomy for Treating Macular Oedema, but Benefit Short-Lived - Doctor's Guide, 5/3/05
• Visual Acuity at Baseline Best Predictor of Outcome when Photodynamic Therapy Used to Treat Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/2/05
• Vision Loss from Macular Degeneration Results has Profound Psychological Impact on Patients - Doctor's Guide, 5/2/05
• High Recurrence Rate of Neovascularisation in Patients Treated with Photodynamic Therapy for Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/2/05
• Triamcinolone Injections Used to Bolster Photodynamic Therapy in Patients with Age-related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/2/05
• Smoking Doubles Risk Of Degenerative Eye Condition - Science Daily, 4/15/05
• New Drug Available For Treatment Of "Wet" Macular Degeneration Disease - Science Daily, 2/18/05
• Eyetech Announces Launch Date for Macugen (Pegaptanib Sodium Injection) - Doctor's Guide, 1/21/05
• New Macular Degeneration Drug Preserves Sight - WebMD, 12/29/04
• Macugen (Pegaptanib Sodium Injection) Appears Effective in Treating Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 12/29/04
• New Drug for Rare Type of Macular Degeneration - WebMD, 12/21/04
• FDA Approves Macugen (Pegaptanib Sodium) for Treatment of Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 12/20/04
• Growing Epidemic Of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration Ushers In New Era In Treatment Of The Disease - Science Daily, 10/28/04
• FDA Grants Fast Track Status for Squalamine Treatment for Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/4/04
• Elderly Blindness Drug Impresses FDA Panel - Intelihealth, 8/30/04
• Statins for Blindness? - Time Magazine, 4/26/04 - "The more serious, wet form occurs when abnormal blood vessels obscure vision ... those who were taking statins were half as likely to develop wet AMD"
• Statins Fight Vision Loss - WebMD, 4/15/04
• Statins and Aspirin May Protect Against Severe Vision Loss in Elderly - Doctor's Guide, 4/13/04 - "those patients already taking statins were half as likely as those without statins to develop the more severe wet AMD, caused by the growth of new blood vessels underneath the retina. Those already on aspirin were about 40 percent less likely to develop this new blood vessel growth, technically called choroidal neovascularization"
• High C-Reactive Protein Levels Associated with Increased Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 2/13/04 - "CRP levels were significantly higher among individuals with intermediate and advanced stages of AMD compared with controls"
• Fat Intake Modifies Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Medscape, 12/8/03 - "Most types of dietary fat are associated with increased risk of progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), whereas nuts and fish are protective ... Specifically, higher intake of vegetable fat, and to a lesser extent animal fat, increased rates of progression"
• Ranibizumab (rhuFab) May Improve Vision in Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 11/24/03
• Experimental Drug [Macugen] May Benefit Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 11/20/03
• Macular Translocation Helpful in Age-Related Macular Degeneration - WebMD, 11/3/03
• New Drug Slows Wet Macular Degeneration - WebMD, 8/21/03
• Transpupillary Thermotherapy Helpful in Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Medscape, 6/16/03
• Obesity Linked to Blindness - WebMD, 6/12/03
• Prolonged Exposure To Bright Sunlight May Significantly Increase Risk Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 6/11/03
• Inflammation Linked to Age-Related Maculopathy - Doctor's Guide, 6/11/03 - "2 physiological signs of systemic inflammation, high white blood cell (WBC) count and low serum albumin levels, were associated with long term incidence of lesions characteristic of ARM ... Specifically, higher WBC count at baseline was linked to 2 early signs of ARM, an increase in large retinal drusen and RPE depigmentation, as well as progression of ARM. Lower serum albumin was associated with a late sign of ARM, exudative macular degeneration" - See my inflammation page for ways to reduce it.
• Sudden Vision Loss Possible Following Photodynamic Therapy For Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/7/03
• Statin Use Tied to Lower Risk for Choroidal Neovascularization with Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/7/03
• Visudyne (Verteporfin) Promising In Reducing Vision Loss Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/5/03
• Retinal Abnormalities Age-Related Macular Degeneration Associated With Hypertension, Pulse Pressure - Doctor's Guide, 4/10/03 - "Retinal abnormalities in older people without diabetes are related to hypertension. Higher blood and pulse pressure are also associated with an increased incidence of macular abnormalities, including wet and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD)"
• Pig's Eye May Aid In Disease Fight - Intelihealth, 1/23/03
• HRT May Save Women's Sight - WebMD, 12/13/02 - "Women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be more than 50% less likely to develop the common, sight-robbing condition known as macular degeneration as they grow older then women who have never used HRT"
• Verteporfin Helpful in Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Medscape, 11/15/02
• Advice On Daily Living Benefits Blind - WebMD, 11/11/02
• Surgical Removal of Submacular Haemorrhage Improves Visual Outcome in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/22/02
• Visudyne (Verteporfin) Approved For Occult Subfoveal Choroidal Neovascularisation (CNV) Secondary To Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) - Doctor's Guide, 8/28/02
• Alcon Releases Results for Anecortave Acetate Therapy for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/6/02
• Age-Related Blindness Expected to Double - WebMD, 3/22/02
• New Treatment for Macular Degeneration - WebMD, 3/11/02
• FDA Approves Visudyne (Verteporfin) For Pathologic Myopia, Ocular Histoplasmosis - Doctor's Guide, 8/23/01
• Visudyne (Verteporfin for Injection) Beneficial in Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/11/01
• Visual Acuity Stable During Third Year of Visudyne (Verteporfin) Therapy For Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/2/01
• Smoking Major Risk Factor for Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 4/2/01
• FDA Issues Approvable Letter for Expanded Use of Visudyne (Verteporfin) - Doctor's Guide, 2/5/01
• Smoking, Hypertension, Antacid Use Associated With Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 12/11/00
• Radiotherapy May Slow Vision Loss In Age-related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/27/00
• Photodynamic Therapy An Alternative For Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/26/00
• Visudyne (verteporfin) Photodynamic Therapy Helps Treat Classic Retinal Lesions - Doctor's Guide, 10/25/00
• Proton Beam Irradiation In Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration Remains Controversial - Doctor's Guide, 10/24/00
• Rheophoresis Flushes Blood-stream To Treat Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/23/00
• Low Dose Internal Radiotherapy Prevents Artery Narrowing - Doctor's Guide, 9/19/00
• Visudyne (verteporfin) therapy confirmed safe and effective for age-related macular degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 5/3/00
• FDA Approves Visudyne For Age-related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 4/13/00
• Visudyne (Verteporfin) Provides Long-term Benefits In Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 3/28/00
• Program Helps Patients Cope With Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 2/29/00
• Photodynamic Therapy Reduces Risk Of Vision Loss In Some Macular Degeneration Patients - Doctor's Guide, 10/14/99
• New Retinal Surgery May Reverse Legal Blindness - Doctor's Guide, 5/21/98
• Smoking Increases Major Cause Of Blindness In Older Men - Doctor's Guide, 10/23/97
• New Laser Treatment May Stop Vision Loss In Macular Degeneration - Doctor's Guide, 10/23/97
• Macular Degeneration May Be Prevented By Diet - Doctor's Guide, 1/31/97

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