Nutritional Wellness Blog from BeautifulandWell.com

Recent studies conclude that increased intakes of omega-3 fatty acids may prevent age-related vision loss, otherwise known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in people aged 55 and older.

What is age-related macular degeneration (AMD)?

According to AMD Alliance International, a global coalition of vision and seniors’ organizations dedicated to raising awareness of AMD and the options available for prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation and support services to individuals and families around the world affected by AMD, AMD  is a degenerative retinal disease that causes central vision loss and leaves only peripheral vision which qualifies as “legal blindness” in the Western world.  Although approximately 30 million people are affected by AMD globally, awareness of the condition is low.  Moreover, due to the aging population of Baby Boomers, the incidence and prevalence of AMD is expected to be on the rise and may triple by 2025.

Two types of AMD exist- dry and wet.  Dry AMD, on the other hand, occurs when normal tissue in the macula disappears slowly resulting in a pale area of the macular called central geographic atrophy (a medical term for dryness).  Wet AMD occurs when blood vessels grow abnormally beneath the macular and eventually leak causing scarring to the macular, thereby obscuring sight.

Studies support increase intake of omgea-3 to prevent AMD

According to the US National Eye Institute, increased consumption of omega-3 fatty-acids contribute to the prevention of age-related vision loss by up to 30%.  In another major study, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), omega-3 intake supports the prevention of AMD by 30%.  Moreover, according to findings published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the risk of both dry AMD and wet AMD are reduced through the intake of omega-3 fatty acids by 32% and 35% respectively.

Omega-3’ eye health benefits

Omega-3 fatty acids, and in particular DHA, play an important role in the layer of nerve cells in the retina, and studies have already reported that omega-3 may protect from developing AMD.

Indeed, a meta-analysis published in the June 2008 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology found that a high intake of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of AMD by up to 38 per cent.

The new study supports these earlier findings. SanGiovanni and his co-workers looked at  1,837 people participating in an Age-Related Eye Disease Study. All the participants were considered to be at a moderate-to-high risk of advanced AMD.

Based on 12 years of research, the scientist found out that the participants with the highest omega-3 intakes had a 30 percent lower risk of developing AMD than people with the lowest intakes.

“The 12-year incidence of central geographic atrophy and neovascular AMD in participants at moderate-to-high-risk of these outcomes was lowest for those reporting the highest consumption of omega-3 fatty acids,” concluded the researchers.

Educating ourselves about how to protect our eye sight and decrease the risk of vision loss should be a priority.  Taking a good nutritional supplement, especially one that can help to slow macular degeneration, is a good insurance policy.  One such high quality nutritional supplement specifically formulated to protect eyes and lower the risk for AMD is TOZAL Eye Health Formula make by AmeriSciences.  TOZAL contains a high percentage of Omega 3, as well as Lutein & Zeaxanthin, which all promote vision health. To learn more about TOZAL or to purchase TOZAL from a reputable AmeriSciences distributor, click here.

by Edward L. Paul, Jr., O.D., Ph.D.

Since 2001 the accepted standard of care in treating dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) has consisted of recommending an AREDS based nutritional supplement. Clinicians may change that recommendation with the publication of the landmark TOZAL Study which was published in the February issue of the British journal BMC Ophthalmology. The TOZAL Study incorporated taurine, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, antioxidants and lutein. With the exception of taurine, this formulation is very similar to the AREDS II formulation that is in the first year of a six-year trial. The TOZAL Study design had as a primary objective the measurement of change of Visual Acuity (VA) as measured with the ETDRS charts in subjects with intermediate dry AMD who were treated with this novel nutritional supplement. The range of best-corrected VA at baseline was 20/32-20/125, the same range of VA used in the MIRA-1 study (the MIRA-1 study was used as a “distant” control group). The study contrasted VA at baseline to VA measured under the same conditions at 6 months. Based upon other studies, it is well acknowledged that VA in a group of subjects with intermediate AMD decreases over a 6-month period and the decrease has been demonstrated to be about 1.5 lines.

Remarkably, the results of the TOZAL study revealed that more than half (57%) of the subjects in the treated group improved an average of one-half a line of visual acuity at 6 months (0.0541 logMAR). In contrast to the well known natural course of AMD that demonstrates deterioration, nearly 77% treated with the nutritional supplement improved or stayed the same and only about 23% worsened (but no worse than placebo). Hence, the TOZAL supplement formula alone in this study has altered the natural course of the progression of intermediate AMD. It is well known that the original AREDS study demonstrated that nutritional supplements reduced the progression in the treated group when compared to the placebo group by about 25% but the subjects still demonstrated progression of the disease process and lost visual acuity. The AREDS II is now underway but the results will not be available for approximately 5 years. Since the TOZAL formulation is very similar (but not identical) to the AREDS II formulation, the TOZAL results predict the eventual positive AREDS II results. Conservative clinicians may choose to wait another 5 or so years for the AREDS II results to be announced before recommending TOZAL or similar nutritional supplements. Alternatively, many less conservative clinicians may choose to treat their patients with intermediate AMD with the TOZAL formula at the present time in order to provide the additional 5 or so years of protection and perhaps even result in VA improvement in as little as 6 months.

Recent literature has also indicated that higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids is associated with decreased likelihood of having wet AMD. Omega-3 fatty acids appear to influence processes involved in the development of neovascularization – specifically DHA may protect the retina by influencing which genes turn on and off, while fatty acids overall may eventually form compounds that promote cell survival and proper blood vessel function, reduce inflammation and maintain energy balance. Considering the cost of the recommended two-year course of monthly injections of Lucentis reaches nearly $50,000, TOZAL vitamin therapy for AMD not only makes sense, but improves quality of life at a reasonable cost. While the TOZAL Study specifically looked at the supplement’s influence on AMD, a growing body of evidence suggests that supplements containing antioxidants, lutein, and omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk and positively impact other eye diseases such as dry eye syndrome, cataracts, and glaucoma.

In summary, the TOZAL Study has demonstrated statistical and clinical significance of VA improvement and/or stability for subjects with intermediate AMD who were treated with the TOZAL formulation. Furthermore, omega-3 fatty acids appear to reduce the likelihood of a patient advancing to wet AMD. These findings predict that the results of the much larger AREDS II study, to be available in approximately 5 years, will yield similar positive effects.

Source: AmeriSciences.com

Press Release

HOUSTON, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ — AmeriSciences, a leading developer of science-based nutritional supplements, is poised to revolutionize the way eye-care practitioners treat age-related visual deterioration with the launch of its clinically-proven TOZAL Eye Health Formula. Research indicates that by 2030, as many as 68 million Americans will be over the age of 65, and a significant number of these older Americans will suffer from low vision or blindness.

Since 2001, the eye-care industry’s standard of care for patients suffering from age-related vision loss has been nutritional supplements based on the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). While AREDS provided clinical proof that nutritional supplements can positively affect a degenerative health issue, scientific discoveries over the last seven years have revealed other micronutrients that are more effective in maintaining and supporting good health and vision. Among these beneficial compounds are taurine, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, antioxidants and lutein, which are the main ingredients in the TOZAL Eye Health Formula.

“TOZAL exemplifies AmeriSciences’ commitment to providing the safest, most effective science-based nutritional products on the market today,” said Carlos Montesinos, Product Development & Quality Assurance Director, AmeriSciences. “We believe that TOZAL will set a new standard of care for nutrition-based eye care. Like all of our products, TOZAL also meets or exceeds pharmaceutical industry quality benchmarks for over-the-counter products.”

Two years ago, TOZAL became the focus of a multicenter study that ultimately demonstrated through clinical testing how the proper combination of these compounds was effective at reducing the onset of age-related visual impairment after six months of consistent supplementation. The results of this study, which were published in the February 2007 issue of BMC Ophthalmology, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, affirmed that regular use of the TOZAL formula impeded the natural course of visual degeneration in 77 percent of the treated test subjects. Evidence from the TOZAL study also indicated that visual acuity actually improved by as much as one-half line (eye chart) among 57 percent of those tested. All patients receiving the AREDS-type nutritional supplement lost some vision.

A large new study, published in August in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also supports the use of TOZAL in preventing vision loss. The study, which took place across seven European nations, found that seniors given omega-3 fatty acids reduced their risk of developing macular degeneration by up to 70 percent. TOZAL is the only eye-health supplement that includes omega-3 acids.

“The TOZAL study demonstrates that treatment with this supplement can help patients with age-related vision loss,” said Francis E. Cangemi, M.D., a macular degeneration specialist affiliated with Vitreo-Retinal Associates of New Jersey who led the TOZAL study.

As a result of the landmark TOZAL study, AmeriSciences collaborated with TOZAL developer and prominent optometrist Dr. Edward Paul to create the only nutritional supplement on the market based on his patented formula. TOZAL Eye Health Formula was released in February exclusively through independent distributors of AmeriSciences nutritional products with incredible response from consumers and vision-care specialists alike.

“I grew tired of telling my patients with age-related vision loss that there was nothing I could do for them,” said Dr. Paul about developing his breakthrough TOZAL formula. As a highly-respected optometrist and nutritionist, Dr. Paul has been in private practice in Wilmington, North Carolina, for more than 20 years helping people to see better and live healthier lives through a combination of traditional and complementary medicine.

“I think that because of AREDS, the eye-care industry was the first in the health field to really embrace nutritional supplementation as a way of helping patients with age-related health issues,” Dr. Paul said. “But now we have something better and more effective with TOZAL. We would be remiss if we did not give our patients the option of using these supplements given the statistical and clinical proof that TOZAL can help them.”

In addition to his research and eye-care practice, Dr. Paul is the author of several books, including “Conquering Macular Degeneration” and “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health.” An authority on the subject of age-related vision impairments, Dr. Paul also serves as a contributing writer for several national medical magazines and is a frequent guest on national television and radio programs. Dr. Paul is a member of the AmeriSciences Scientific Advisory Board.

A specially-packaged combination of two premium nutritional products- AmeriSciences Antioxidant Plus and AmeriSciences Omega Max-TOZAL Eye Health Formula has been hailed by health-care professionals from across the United States as a product that is destined to revolutionize the eye-care industry.

AmeriSciences is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

For more information on AmeriSciences’ new TOZAL Eye Health Formula, visit www.tozalformula.com or www.amerisciences.com.

Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080918/neth047.html?.v=70