Folic Acid, and B Vitamins May Prevent Vision Loss
A new study by researchers at Harvard Medical School has found that combining essential B vitamins, including B6, B12, and folic acid, lowers risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), one of the leading causes of vision loss among people over 60, involving the deterioration of tissues in the macula, the central part of the retina. The condition impedes the performance of critical everyday functions such as reading and driving because it affects the ability to see items that a person is looking at directly, as opposed to items even a few degrees off to either side of the direct line of vision.
There are two types of macular degeneration: wet and dry. Wet forms of AMD are caused by abnormal blood vessels growing beneath the macula, which can rupture and bleed. The dry form is generally caused by cells in the macular degenerating over time and thus losing function.
While some treatments do exist for the wet form of the disease (including laser surgery, photodynamic therapy and injections into the eye), there is currently not much in the way of treatments for the more common dry form.
The trail combined B complex vitamins formulated with key omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and phytosterols.
In the randomized, double-blind clinical trial, more than 5,000 women with heart disease, and at least three risk factors for cardiovascular disease, were given vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid over a seven-year time period. At the end of the trial, approximately 34 percent of the women had a lower risk of developing any type of AMD, while 41 percent had a lower risk of more severe forms of AMD.
“What’s interesting here is the study authors note the correlation between age-related macular degeneration and cardiovascular disease,” said nutritional expert Dr. Barbara Levine, Weill Cornell Medical College. “I recommend patients with nutritional deficiencies speak to their physicians about Animi-3, which is formulated with these essential B vitamins and DHA, the most important omega-3 fat, to address various conditions, including heart disease, arthritis, eye health, and depression.”
DHA is highly concentrated in the retina of the eye, which is one of the reasons why a DHA deficiency may be important to vision. Studies continue to suggest that DHA, along with a combination of vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid, can address deficiencies in these nutrients associated with eye problems, including dry eye and macular health.
Dr. Robert Frank of the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests “If you do anything, I would take a supplement of antioxidant vitamins containing high doses of vitamins A, E, C and zinc,” suggests Frank, who has no financial interest in the vitamin supplement industry. These antioxidant vitamins were found to prevent the progression of age-related macular degeneration in the 10-year Age-Related Eye Disease Study conducted by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
However, Frank does say that while it still remains to be seen whether people currently taking a multivitamin containing the B vitamins and folic acid will be able to prevent early AMD from developing – answers which will probably not be found for several years, after a large-scale clinical trial is begun – there is little risk for most people in taking a daily multivitamin, containing B vitamins.
“What excites me about this trial says nutritionist Vicky Perks, is the way it is looking at the combination of nutrients and how they interact to support the eye, and that is the true nature of holistic nutritional therapy.”
