Embrace nutrition how to#
Embrace nutrition trial#

12 In a pilot study, 14 patients affected by early AMD were treated with a mixture of mitotropic compounds including acetyl-L-carnitine, polyunsaturated fatty acids, coenzyme Q10, and vitamin E. 11 With this in mind, Feher and colleagues examined the important role that mitochondrial health plays in AMD and other diseases of the eye. Oxidative stress is believed to contribute to the pathogenesis of many diseases, and mitochondrial DNA has been shown to be particularly prone to oxidative damage.

Richer was one of the first to look at the effects of a much larger multiple-vitamin product on the eye, and data from other investigators have shown that vitamins A, C, and E iron and zinc all have positive benefits to ocular health including improving photoreceptor function and providing protective antioxidant activity. The LAST study and others have shown that dietary supplementation of lutein and the zeaxanthins also improves visual function, including increased contrast sensitivity, reduced glare, improved photostress recovery time, and improved high-contrast near visual acuity. 3 Other major epidemiologic studies have confirmed that higher dietary and serum levels of lutein and zeaxanthin are associated with significantly lower odds ratios of AMD. The Blue Mountains Eye Study, a population-based cohort study (N = 3,654), found that a higher dietary intake of lutein and zeaxanthin reduced the risk of AMD by 65%. Patients who received placebo had no significant changes in any of the measured findings.Īn inverse relationship between lutein and zeaxanthin and risk for AMD has been reported in multiple studies. The lutein-only group also had a net subjective improvement on Amsler grid testing. 2 In that study, 90 patients with atrophic AMD received either 10 mg of lutein 10 mg of a broad-spectrum supplementation of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants or a maltodextrin placebo.īoth groups receiving lutein experienced improvements in mean macular pigment optical density and Snellen-equivalent visual acuity.

Embrace nutrition trial#

The Veterans Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial (LAST) was a double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized trial assessing lutein and antioxidant supplementation as an intervention for atrophic AMD. 1 A healthy macular pigment absorbs blue light, protects the underlying photoreceptor cells, and is inversely associated with the incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). These three xanthophylls compose the macular pigment. Research has since taught us that lutein makes up the outer edge of the macula, with meso-zeaxanthin next and zeaxanthin in the center of the macula. Not long ago, the only thing we knew about lutein and zeaxanthin was that they are the primary carotenoids in the macula, and few eye care professionals assigned them much importance. While the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) is perhaps the best known study of ocular nutrition, there is a vast amount of high-quality research that provides excellent direction on how we can protect our eyesight, which most people list as their most valued sensory asset. Second, the rising cost of health care is motivating consumers to embrace nutrition, make lifestyle changes, and search for ways to age more gracefully. First, with the aging population, Wall Street is enthusiastically supporting companies that provide solutions for the discomforts of aging. However, most big changes come about due to economic pressure, and there are multiple financial angles to this story. The road to educating eye care providers and the public regarding the value of vitamins and nutrients for ocular function has been long and uphill. This led to my researching, developing, and patenting the first oral supplement for DED. I knew that, as the baby boomer generation aged, the demand for a solution would grow.

When I first experienced dry eye disease (DED) during menopause, I could not find an eye doctor who would pay attention to my complaint or a treatment better than common eye drops. The Logistics of Participating in Device Clinical Trials Refractive Surgery for Patients With Severe Dry EyeĬataract Surgery in Patients With Meibomian Gland Dysfunction Optometrists and Integrated Care of Ocular Surface Disease

Embrace nutrition how to#

How to Create a Successful Dry Eye Practice Sidebar: Single-Center Study of Novel Cationic Nanoemulsion Demonstrates Relief for Dry Eye Sufferers