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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Vitamin supplements may be the key to preventing the most common cause of vision loss in older Americans.
A new study found women who took a combination of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid appeared to significantly decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Although there are treatment options for severe cases of the eye disease, the only current known prevention method is to avoid smoking.
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In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial involving 5,442 women age 40 and over, women who took supplements had a 34 percent lower risk of any AMD and 41 percent lower risk of visually significant AMD, which results in a visual acuity of 20/30 or worse.
The study's authors said their findings are the strongest evidence to date in support of a possible beneficial effect of folic acid and B vitamin supplements in AMD prevention. Since the benefits were observed in the early stages of the disease development, this appears to be the first identified way, other than not smoking to reduce the risk of AMD in women at an average risk.
"From a public health perspective, this is particularly important because persons with early AMD are at increased risk of developing advanced AMD, the leading cause of severe, irreversible vision loss in older Americans," the authors wrote.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2009;169:335-341
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