Healthy fatty acids for AMD prevention

Proven by some Australian researchers, a healthy diet with lots of fish, olive and nuts can help in preventing certain eye diseases in elderly people. For instance, these foods contain plenty of healthy fats, which play an essential role in reducing the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Moreover, there have been similar studies suggest the effectiveness of lutein and zeaxanthin in preventing the same eye disease.

Fish and nuts intake reduces the risk of macular degeneration

In detail, researchers from the University of Sydney found that a serving of fish each week could bring down the risk of suffering early AMD by 31%. People who never or seldom ate fish were more likely to get macular degeneration at an early age. Another category of food that brings similar fat supply is nut. It is estimated that regular intake of nuts could even cut the AMD risk by 35%.

Safe and unsafe fishes

Moreover, it is necessary to pay additional attention to different types of fish. Safe fishes to eat two to three meals per week include anchovies, butterfish, catfish, clams, cod, herring etc. And black sea bass, croaker, halibut are safe for one meal per week. In the contrary, some fishes should be avoided because of mercury, e.g. shark, marlin, tilefish, tuna steak and so on.

Beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and harmful Trans fats

In addition, a team in the University of Melbourne revealed a study result involving omega-3 fatty acids, which were reported to lower the risk of early macular degeneration by about 15%. The team from Melbourne also advised people to avoid those tasty Trans fats, which are harmful. The study pointed out that regular consumption of Trans fats was 1.76 times more likely to bring late AMD.

Omega-three fatty acids fight against eye inflammation

In fact, omega-three fatty acids have long been proven to facilitate AMD prevention. These healthy fats are thought to protect healthy eyes against age-related macular degeneration by fighting eye inflammation. There are similar study results from institutes worldwide, including Iceland, the Netherlands as well as USA.

Fatty acids can be easily found in the retina

In fact, both nervous tissue and the retina of the eye contain many fatty acids. With this background, it is much easier to acknowledge the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. In clinical practice, many doctors now encourage their patients to maintain a diet containing omega-3 fatty acids and safe fishes, e.g. salmon, sardines and mackerel.

A large number of patients reflect the urgency of AMD prevention

Highly related to natural aging, genetics, obesity and smoking history, macular degeneration has been the leading cause of blindness among people above 65. AMD usually causes damage to one’s central vision, which leads to difficulty in reading, watching TV, driving, recognizing faces and other daily activities. Statistics show that about 1.75 million people have advanced AMD and 7.3 million individuals are suffering early AMD. Those beneficial nutrients stated above are really meaningful, verified by the large number of existing patients.