1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910717345803321

Autore

Kansagara Devan

Titolo

Nutritional supplements for age-related macular degeneration : a systematic review / / Devan Kansagara [and four others]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Washington, DC : , : Dept. of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research & Development Service, , [2012]

©2012

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (iv, 43 pages) : illustrations

Collana

Evidence-based Synthesis Program

Disciplina

617.735

Soggetti

Retinal degeneration - Age factors

Technical reports.

United States

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

"Evidence-based synthesis program."

"January 2012."

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references.

Sommario/riassunto

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in the developed world. In 2004, AMD affected 1.75 million persons in the United States, a number that is expected to rise to nearly 3 million by 2020 due to the aging of the population. The severity of macular degeneration ranges from Category 1 (least severe) to Category 4 (most severe), and "advanced AMD" is defined as having geographic atrophy involving the center of the macula or features of choroidal neovascularization. Observational studies suggest that people with dietary intakes higher in various carotenoids, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids have a lower risk of developing AMD. This has led to several supplementation trials designed to examine the ability of nutritional supplement with carotenoids, antioxidants, or omega-3 fatty acids to prevent the progression of AMD. Our report focuses on the evidence documenting the potential benefits and harms of certain dietary supplements in patients with AMD. We conducted a systematic review of published literature to address the following key questions: In patients with age-related macular degeneration, do nutritional



supplements containing carotenoids, antioxidants, or omega-3 fatty acids alone or in combination prevent functional visual loss? In adult populations, what are the harms of carotenoid, antioxidant, and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation?