Wellness for Life Center AmeriSciences Blog - Vision

TOZAL Study: An open case control study of an oral antioxidant and omega-3 supplement for dry AMD

nospam@example.com (Sultan H. Rahaman, M.D.) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:42:45 -0800

TOZAL Study: An open case control study of an oral antioxidant and omega-3 supplement for dry AMD
Published: 26 February 2007
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
BMC Ophthalmology 2007, 7:3 doi:10.1186/1471-2415-7-3
Received: 6 November 2006
Accepted: 26 February 2007
This article is available from: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2415/7/3
© 2007 Cangemi; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Abstract
Background:
The primary objective of this prospective study was to measure the change from baseline in visual function – Best-Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) via the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart, contrast sensitivity, central 10 degree visual fields and retinalimaging (angiograms and photographs) at 6 months in subjects with atrophic (dry) age-relatedmacular degeneration treated with a targeted nutritional supplement.
Methods:
37 mixed gender patients with a mean age of 76.3 +/- 7.8 years were enrolled at 5independent study sites and received standard of care with a novel formulation of a nutritional supplement. Results were compared to a placebo cohort constructed from the literature that wasmatched for inclusion and exclusion criteria. A paired t-test was used to test a null hypothesis anda two-sided alpha level of 0.05 was used to determine statistical significance.
Results:
76.7% of subjects receiving the nutritional supplement demonstrated stabilization or improvement of BCVA at 6 months. Subjects gained an average of 0.0541 logMAR or one-half of a line of visual acuity (VA) over the 6-month period. There was a statistically significant improvement in VA from baseline with P = .045. The results provide strong evidence that the treatment being studied produces an improvement in VA.
Conclusion:
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Order AmeriSciences TOZAL for Macular Degeneration and Vision Support.
http://www.wellnessforlifecenter.org/vision.shtml
Treatment with this unique nutritional supplement increased VA above the expected baseline decrease in the majority of patients in this population with dry macular degeneration. The results of the TOZAL study agree with the LAST and CARMIS studies and are predictive for positive visual acuity outcomes in the AREDS II trial. However, patients will likely require supplementation for longer than 6 months to effect changes in additional visual parameters.Francis E Cangemi*

Effect of Antioxidants and Fish Oil on Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

nospam@example.com (Sultan H. Rahaman, M.D.) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 13:08:57 -0700

NEI Press Release

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
National Eye Institute

Embargoed until Thursday, October 12, 2006

New Nationwide Study Will Evaluate Effect of Antioxidants and Fish Oil on Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Nearly 100 Clinical Centers Are Now Seeking 4,000 Study Participants Ages 50 - 85 Who Have AMD

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces a nationwide study to see if a modified combination of vitamins, minerals, and fish oil can further slow the progression of vision loss from AMD, the leading cause of vision loss in the United States for people over age 60. This new study, called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), will build upon results from the earlier Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). The original study results were released five years ago today. The study found that high-dose antioxidant vitamins and minerals (vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper), taken by mouth, reduced the risk of progression to advanced AMD by 25 percent, and the risk of moderate vision loss by 19 percent.

AREDS2 will refine the findings of the original study by adding lutein and zeaxanthin (plant-derived yellow pigments that accumulate in the macula, the small area responsible for central vision near the center of the retina) and the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA (derived from fish oils) to the study formulation. The main study objective is to determine if these nutrients will decrease a person's risk of progression to advanced AMD, which often leads to vision loss. Previous observational studies have suggested these nutrients may protect vision.

"Vision loss from AMD is an important public health issue. This study may help us find a better way to treat this devastating disease," said Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., director of the NIH.

AMD damages the macula. As the disease progresses, it blurs the patient's central vision. AMD can take two forms, wet and dry. Wet AMD is caused by the abnormal growth of blood vessels under the macula. This leads to rapid loss of central vision. Wet AMD is considered to be advanced AMD and is more severe than the dry form. Dry AMD, the more common form, occurs when the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down. Untreated dry AMD can progress into wet AMD.

Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Eye Institute (NEI) at NIH, said, "Nearly two million Americans have vision loss from advanced AMD, and another seven million with AMD are at substantial risk for vision loss. In the AREDS study, we found a combination of vitamins and minerals that effectively slowed the progression of AMD for some people. Now, we will conduct this more precisely-targeted study to see if the new combination of nutrients can reduce AMD progression even further. This study may help people at high risk for advanced AMD maintain useful vision for a longer time."

Emily Y. Chew, M.D., study chair and deputy director of the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the NEI said, "The AREDS2 study is seeking 4,000 people between 50 and 85 years of age with AMD in both eyes, or advanced AMD in one eye. They must be available for yearly eye examinations for at least five years. Until we get the results from AREDS2, we encourage people with AMD to visit their eye care professional to see if they need to take the AREDS vitamin and mineral formulation. This alone could save more than 300,000 people from vision loss over the next five years."

For a list of study centers, eligibility requirements, and other information, go to: http://www.nei.nih.gov/AREDS2, or call 1-877-AREDS-80 (1-877-273-3780).

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The National Eye Institute (NEI) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is the Federal government's lead agency for vision research that leads to sight-saving treatments and plays a key role in reducing visual impairment and blindness. For more information, visit the NEI Website at http://www.nei.nih.gov/.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The Nation's Medical Research Agency - includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov/.

This page was last modified in December 2006

National Eye Institute
2020 Vision Place
Bethesda, MD 20892-3655
(301) 496-5248
www.nei.nih.gov

Plant Pigment May Reverse Vision Loss

nospam@example.com (Sultan H. Rahaman, M.D.) — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 15:12:00 -0700

I highly recommend a pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplement with Lutein, Astaxanthin, zinc and other antioxidants to help reduce the risk of Macular Degeneration. Here is an interesting article.

SCIENCE FILE

Plant Pigment May Reverse Vision Loss

By Thomas H. Maugh IILos Angeles Times Staff Writer

April 10, 2004

Lutein, a yellow pigment found in dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and collard greens, can reverse some of the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of visual disability in the United States, according to a new study.

As many as 6 million Americans have at least some vision loss because of the disease, and the number is expected to double by 2025 as the baby boom generation ages.

Lutein has previously been shown in several small studies — as well as one major trial to be announced later this month — to delay the onset of macular degeneration. The new study, published last week in the Journal of the American Optometric Assn., was the first to show that it could actually reverse symptoms. But the study was small, involving only 90 subjects, and needs to be repeated on a much larger number of people.

Macular degeneration, which involves genetic and nutritional components, occurs in the area of the eye that provides the central field of vision, interfering with a person's ability to see details and eventually leading to complete blindness. There is no successful treatment for the disease.

In the study, Dr. Stuart Richer of the North Chicago VA Medical Center and his colleagues gave 10 milligrams of lutein a day to 30 people with the disease, 10 milligrams of lutein and 10 milligrams of an antioxidant to another 30, and a placebo to a third group of 30.

Over the year of the study, those patients getting either formulation of lutein had a modest increase in visual acuity, Richer said, while those receiving a placebo got worse. "This is unprecedented," Richer said. "But the data doesn't support calling it a treatment because the study was so small. I prefer to call it an intervention."

Richer says he tells his elderly patients to eat 3 to 4 ounces of spinach — the equivalent of 10 milligrams of lutein — at least three or four times a week, especially if they are smokers or have blue eyes, both of which are risk factors for the disease. If they can't or won't eat spinach, he recommends supplements.

If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives.

Article licensing and reprint options

Consider "AmeriSciences Antioxidant Plus" at www.amerisciencesproducts.com
Look under Products/Preventative Nutrition.