No increased risk for lung cancer, reduced risk for progression to late AMD seen with lutein\/zeaxanthin as replacement for beta-carotene<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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FRIDAY, June 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) — For individuals with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the addition of lutein\/zeaxanthin to the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) supplement appears to be safe, according to a study published online June 2 in JAMA Ophthalmology<\/em>.<\/p>\n Emily Y. Chew, M.D., from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues examined the 10-year risk of developing lung cancer and late AMD in an epidemiologic follow-up study of the AREDS2 clinical trial. Participants with bilateral or unilateral intermediate AMD were included. During the trial, participants were randomly assigned primarily to lutein\/zeaxanthin and\/or \u00cf\u0089-3 fatty acids or placebo and secondarily to no beta carotene versus beta carotene and low versus high doses of zinc. All participants received AREDS2 supplements with lutein\/zeaxanthin, vitamins C and E, and zinc plus copper in the follow-up study.<\/p>\n Data were included for 3,882 participants and 6,351 eyes. The researchers found that the odds ratio of having lung cancer was 1.82 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.06 to 3.12; P = 0.02) and 1.15 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.79 to 1.66; P = 0.46) for those randomly assigned to beta carotene and lutein\/zeaxanthin, respectively. Comparing lutein\/zeaxanthin with no lutein\/zeaxanthin, the hazard ratio for progression to late AMD was 0.91 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.84 to 0.99; P = 0.02); the hazard ratio was not significant comparing \u00cf\u0089-3 fatty acids with no \u00cf\u0089-3 fatty acids (1.01, 95 percent confidence interval, 0.93 to 1.09; P = 0.91).<\/p>\n “This 10-year data confirms that not only is the new formula safer, it’s actually better at slowing AMD progression,” Chew said in a statement.<\/p>\n Bausch and Lomb provided AREDS2 supplements for the AREDS2 study participants during the last five years of the follow-up study.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n