Omega-3 Fatty Acids Can Fight Off Leading Vision Problem

Eat your fish, ladies! A recent study has found women who consume larger amounts of omega-3 fatty acids can reduce their chances of getting age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among older Americans. According to AllAboutVision.com, AMD is the degeneration of the macula, the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed for activities like driving and reading. The site notes about 1.75 million Americans have advanced AMD and that number is expected to rise to 3 million by 2020. So, women in particular, should be eating salmon, trout, sardines, herring and tuna – all high in omega-3 fatty acids. According to the Reuters Health article, “doctors can halt AMD, but they can’t reverse damage to the retina. So researchers have been busy looking for ways to stave off the disease.” Not smoking is one key way to prevent AMD. William G. Christen of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and colleagues conducted the study and published the results in the Archives of Ophthalmology. The article notes that the study found “the risk of AMD was 38 percent lower in women with the top one-third DHA intake compared to those with the bottom one-third intake. For those who got a lot of EPA, the risk was 34 percent smaller.”