Vitamins may cut risk for vision loss
A combination of vitamins B-6, B-12 and folic acid appears to decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration in women, according to a study in the Feb. 23 Archives of Internal Medicine. AMD is the leading cause of severe, irreversible vision loss in older Americans.
A randomized, double-blind trial involving 5,442 women age 40 and older who had heart disease and at least three risk factors for AMD revealed that those taking the supplements had a statistically significant 35% to 40% decreased risk.
Recent studies had drawn a connection between AMD and homocysteine levels. Treatment with vitamin B-6, B-12 and folic acid appears to lower homocysteine levels and may reverse blood vessel dysfunction.
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