DSM participates in US government eye-health study
Dated: 11 January 2007
DSM and the US-government organization the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are examining if a combination of vitamins, minerals and fish oil can slow the progression of vision loss from age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
This new study, called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), will build upon results from the earlier Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).
The original study results were released five years ago today.
The study found that high-dose antioxidant vitamins and minerals (vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper), taken orally, reduced the risk of progression to advanced AMD by 25 percent, and the risk of moderate vision loss by 19 percent.
AREDS2 will refine the findings of the original study by adding 10mg of lutein and 2mg of zeaxanthin (plant-derived yellow pigments that accumulate in the macula, the small area responsible for central vision near the center of the retina) and the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA (derived from fish oil) to the study formulation.
The 5:1 ratio of lutein to zeaxanthin was chosen for the study because it was found to be associated with the benefits seen in observational studies.
The main study objective is to determine if these nutrients will decrease a person’s risk of progression to advanced AMD, which often leads to vision loss. Previous observational studies have suggested these nutrients may protect vision.
DSM Nutritional Products is supporting this major study by providing the lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acid dietary supplements to be used in this trial.
“Vision loss from AMD is an important public health issue. This study may help us find a better way to treat this devastating disease,” says Elias Zerhouni,MD, director of the NIH.
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