Dietary Supplements and Age Related Macular Degeneration

From the desk of Dr. Peg:

Dietary Supplements and Age Related Macular Degeneration

In discussions about nutrition, age-related macular degeneration, dry eye, or any other disease there are a number terms used that may seem confusing or redundant.  What is a drug, what is a dietary supplement, what is the difference?  Are herbs, botanicals and teas considered dietary supplements?

The FDA defines dietary supplements as products taken by mouth that contain a “dietary ingredient.” Dietary ingredients include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbs or botanicals.  Probiotics and metabolites also fall under the dietary supplement umbrella.  Dietary supplements can come in many forms, such as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, and other liquid forms.

A vitamin is a dietary supplement, but not all dietary supplements are vitamins.  The protein mix that you may pour into your morning juice is classified as a dietary supplement as is the calcium or multi-vitamin tablet that your child takes.  Some teas are considered herbal remedies, and in large enough quantities they can have an effect on your physiology and can also potentially react with drugs or other dietary supplements you may already be taking.

Dietary supplements are NOT drugs, though they may have a drug-like action.  Dietary supplements may react with drugs or medicines you are already taking, so it is always best to check with your physician before adding any dietary supplement to your nutritional regimen.

Dietary supplements are considered food and therefore are not subject to the same regulations with respect to labeling, testing or manufacturing.  They must indicate on the front label that it IS a dietary supplement, and they are very restricted in the claims that they can make.  Beware of claims that sound too good to be true, and keep in mind that medical claims are usually substantiated by good clinical studies, and many years of research.

I mentioned some of the research done in the Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) in the last blog.  Though this was a comprehensive and quite lengthy study, the last publication was in 2001.  By research standards that is sometimes considered old news.

A more recent study in The New Zealand Medical Journal (N Z Med J.  2009; 122(1299):32-8 ) concluded that dietary supplementation is required to achieve the AREDS nutrient intake recommendations.   This study also suggests that dietary supplementation may prevent the progression of age related maculopathy, or macular damage.

This is not the only recent study that seems to support dietary supplements in the prevention of eye disease. In Current Opinions in Ophthalmology another study states, “patients with intermediate risk of AMD or advanced AMD in one eye should consider taking AREDS-type supplements.”  (Curr Opin Ophthalmol 2010 May;21(3):184-9.)

The evidence seems to mounting for supporting the use of dietary supplements to prevent the progression of AMD.  Though the AREDS 2 study is still years away from a conclusion, many researchers are anxiously awaiting those results.  The AREDS 2 study hopes to answer some significant questions regarding the prevention, progression and treatment of age-related macular degeneration and the development of cataracts.

Be well.

Dr. Peg

Macular Degeneration Threatens Our Life Saga

From the desk of Dr. Peg:

Macular Degeneration Threatens Our Life Saga

Life is a series of memories, many of those are visual memories.  The author Ivan Doig writes about memories being the saga of our lives.  Our visual memories help to tell of the adventures of our lives, it helps us to share these memories with others, and pass them on to the next generation.  We want to do what we can to prevent age-related macular degeneration from threatening our visual memories and diminishing our quality of life.

Many of you reading this blog have heard of the Age Related Eye Disease Study, or AREDS study.  This was one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies with respect to the use of nutritional supplements and age-related macular degeneration.  It was a study designed to assess the clinical course, prognosis and risk factors of AMD and cataracts.  It was also designed to evaluate the effects of pharmacologic doses of antioxidants and zinc on the progression of AMD and antioxidants on the development and progression of lens opacities, or cataracts.  A pharmacological dose is the minimal dose of a drug required to make it medically effective.

Briefly, the results of this longitudinal study found that people at high risk of developing advanced stages of AMD lowered their risk by about 25 percent when treated with a high-dose combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and zinc.  There were many publications from the study, and the AREDS formula has now become the standard of care.  The last publication to come from that study was published in 2001.  AREDS was not designed to determine whether earlier intervention with micronutrients would have been effective in the prevention of AMD.  There is another study underway, AREDS2, which is evaluating the progression to advanced AMD.  I will be referring to these, and other relevant publications in upcoming blogs.

Diet alone, or even the addition of a daily multivitamin, is not sufficient to obtain the high levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants suggested in the AREDS study.   EyeScience Macular Health Formula was created for those in any stage of AMD, and also for those interested in the possible protective and preventative benefits of an ocular supplement.

Some of the components of the EyeScience Macular Degeneration formula include:

• Vitamin C – Works together with other antioxidants like Selenium and Vitamin E to help protect the eyes agains the development of macular degeneration.  Vitamins C and E are the principle nutrients which possess radical quenching properties.
• Lutein and Zeaxanthin – Thought to help shield the macula and retina from the oxidative stress generated by exposure to light.
• Fatty acids/Omega-3 – potentially lessen the effects of exposure to light, stress, inflammation and other factors.

The preservation and protection of our vision and our memories, and the continuation of our own life’s saga is dependent upon our ability to maintain good health through nutrition and exercise.

Be well.

Dr. Peg

Additional information:

http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/armd_facts.asp

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/maculardegeneration.html

www.nei.nih.gov/amd

Macular Degeneration and Dietary Supplements

From the desk of Dr. Peg:

I moved from New Jersey to Florida a year and a half ago.  There is something about living in a state where shorts and swimming suits are approved attire for most venues that motivates one to be more health conscious.  Health is more than what we look like on the outside, it is a healthy lifestyle, the whole picture of both inner and outer health.

We are all familiar with the saying that the eyes are the window to the soul.  I believe that the eyes are also the window to our health.  As eye care professionals, we look INTO the eyes of our patients to help us determine that patient’s ocular, or eye health.  The interesting thing is that this can also provide us with some information regarding our patients overall, or systemic, health.  Diabetes, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and some infectious diseases are a few of the systemic problems that can be directly observed by looking a the retina, or the back of the eyes.

I mentioned in the previous blog that in my years of private practice I observed that when a patient looked good and healthy on the outside, the inside of their eyes revealed superior ocular health, as well. They generally were living a healthy life by eating right, not smoking, exercising and taking care of their whole person, their whole health, inside and out.  These patients were the ones that looked good on the inside, AND the outside, and they usually looked younger than their chronological age.  We have the power to look younger, feel better and be healthier.

A large part of taking care of our health is nutrition.  The National Cancer Institute believes that about 30% of cancer is due to poor diet and lack of exercise.  Just think, if we improve our health with proper diet, nutrition and exercise we may be able to prevent up to one third of cancer cases!

One of the easiest ways to improve our nutrition is through the wise use of supplements.  There are approximately 155,000 cases of macular degeneration diagnosed each year, and even though there is conflicting evidence with respect to oral supplements preventing the onset of macular degeneration, there is strong evidence that the appropriate dietary supplements can slow the progression the diagnosis has been made.  I believe that it is only a matter of time, and the appropriate, valid studies to be run, before there is strong evidence to support the use of dietary supplements in the prevention of macular degeneration, and other ocular conditions.

In future blogs I will be defining and describing many of the terms used in the world of nutrition, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals.  This will help clear up some of the confusion surrounding the use of these terms and help you to decide what is the best choice for your own health.

Please remember, one must always check with their physician before adding any supplement to their daily health routine.

Be well.

Dr. Peg

Macular Degeneration and Overall Health

Greetings from the desk of Dr. Peg.

Welcome to the EyeScience Labs “Eye on Health” blog.

The purpose of this blog is to inform, to acquaint you with the facts, and to educate by giving you knowledge in the areas of age-related macular degeneration, dry eyes, nutritional supplements and other eye health related topics.  Specific aspects of these conditions, as well as preventative measures, will be topics of discussion in upcoming blog entries.  I will also be summarizing some of the past and present research conducted in these areas to give greater understanding of these conditions, the treatment for them, and how this research can be used to improve and maintain your health and well being.

I was in private clinical practice for 16 years and observed that my patients who looked younger than their age, also looked “younger” and healthier on the inside.  These patients were interested in preserving their overall health as well as their eye health.  This involved diet, exercise and participating in a healthy lifestyle, which many times included dietary supplements. (link to the company’s dietary supplements page)

I then spent 8 years researching in the areas of cancer, infectious disease, dermatology and dietary supplements.  The research done in the area of dietary supplements included the specific challenges of the dietary deficiencies of people living with AIDS.  There is a very fine balance, right down to the molecular level, that must be achieved for these patients to survive and thrive.  Balance is key in maintaining our own health, and nutritional supplements are one way to help us achieve that balance in our diets.

There are a number of studies that have been in the news with respect to dry eyes and macular degeneration.  Many of you reading this blog have heard of the AREDS study.  This was a study designed to assess age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataract.  I will be describing this study in more detail in the near future and comparing it to the follow-up study currently being done, AREDS2.

Diet alone, or even the addition of a daily multivitamin, is not sufficient to obtain the high levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants suggested in the AREDS study.  EyeScience Macular Health formula (link to this) was created for those in any stage of AMD, and also for those interested in the possible protective and preventative benefits of an ocular supplement.  EyeScience Dry Eye formula (link to this) may improve dry eye symptoms, and the discomfort associated with those symptoms.  The science behind these formulas will be addressed in future blogs.

Information on the dietary supplement industry, the government’s role in regulation, how supplements are different than drugs, and the definition of common terms will be included along the way to help clarify and educate to assist you in making the best health and nutritional decisions.

I believe it is a responsibility to educate and inform.  Information is power, and it gives us the power to make the right decisions for our lives and our health.  Armed with accurate and up-to-date information, I hope to help you make the best decisions for your eye health.

Be well.

Dr. Peg

Peg Achenbach, OD, FAAO

Tags: http://eyescience.com/products/all-products/, http://eyescience.com/products/dry-eye-formula/, http://eyescience.com/products/macular-health-formula/

Introducing the Eye on Health blog by Eyescience Labs

In an effort to provide consumers with the most up to date information regarding ocular health issues we are introducing EyeScience Labs, “Eye on Health” inaugural blog entry.  We hope to educate and inform those who seek answers regarding the conditions of macular degeneration and dry eyes, as well as other eye conditions.  We also hope to stimulate questions and comments that you may have in an effort to facilitate a dialog.

We understand the value of gathering information from various sources when investigating any health care issue.  We hope to provide you with a representative cross-section of scientific studies, consumer information and product information relative to your eye health.

Dr. Peg Achenbach, a member of our Scientific Advisory Board, is authoring and editing the EyeSciences “Eye on Health” blog.  She has years of experience in private practice and research.  Her work in the areas of cancer, HIV, dermatology and contact lens care gives her a unique perspective, both from an ocular and a holistic point of view.

EyeScience offers specialized nutritional supplements for your ocular health needs.

Please browse our website and determine for yourself how our products can help you achieve the optimum ocular health that you deserve.  We also invite you to visit www.EyeScience.com and encourage you to take advantage of the “Watch and Learn” videos to assist you in making the best decision for your long term eye health.

We hope you find this blog helpful and informative, and that you return on often to stay up to date on all eye health issues.

Thank you for your interest in EyeScience and our products and please let us know if there is a way that we can assist you.

Sincerely,

Jeff Northup

CEO

EyeScience Labs