Omega 3 fatty acids protect against eye disease
Omega 3 fatty acids protect against eye disease
A new animal study suggests that omega-3 fatty acids found in a small number of foods such as oily fish, flaxseeds and walnuts may help protect against human retinopathy, a deterioration of the retina that could ultimately lead to blindness.
In contrast, high consumption of omega-6 fatty acids is associated with an increased risk of retinopathy, according to the study reported in the journal Nature Medicine.
Retinopathy, an eye disease affecting the retina - the light sensitive membrane at the back of the eye, occurs in about four million diabetic patients and about 40,000 premature infants in the United States.
In the study, Kip Connor from Harvard Medical School and John Paul SanGiovanni from the National Eye Institute studied in a mouse model the effect of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids on the disease.
They found that increased dietary intake of omega-3 and decreased intake of omega-6 fatty acids reduce the area of vessel loss that would ultimately cause the growth of the abnormal vessels and blindness.
Omega 3 fatty acids protect against eye disease
A new animal study suggests that omega-3 fatty acids found in a small number of foods such as oily fish, flaxseeds and walnuts may help protect against human retinopathy, a deterioration of the retina that could ultimately lead to blindness.
In contrast, high consumption of omega-6 fatty acids is associated with an increased risk of retinopathy, according to the study reported in the journal Nature Medicine.
Retinopathy, an eye disease affecting the retina - the light sensitive membrane at the back of the eye, occurs in about four million diabetic patients and about 40,000 premature infants in the United States.
In the study, Kip Connor from Harvard Medical School and John Paul SanGiovanni from the National Eye Institute studied in a mouse model the effect of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids on the disease.
They found that increased dietary intake of omega-3 and decreased intake of omega-6 fatty acids reduce the area of vessel loss that would ultimately cause the growth of the abnormal vessels and blindness.
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