19 November 2012
A new US study suggests that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids in combination with vitamin A supplements may slow the decline in eyesight in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.
According to an analysis of data from three clinical trials involving 357 patients with typical retinitis pigmentosa who had already been taking 15,000 IU of vitamin A daily, the participants whose daily diets contained at least 0.2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids showed a 40% slower decline in distance visual acuity and a nearly 50% slower rate of decline in central visual field sensitivity in comparison to people with lower omega-3 intakes also receiving vitamin A (1).
The researchers commented that taking vitamin A in combination with an omega-3-rich diet should enable many patients with typical retinitis pigmentosa to retain both visual acuity and central visual field for most of their lives. The slower rate of decline found in the analysis would result in an additional 18 years of vision.
Retinitis pigmentosa is a condition that affects about two million people worldwide. The condition typically results in night blindness in adolescence, then the loss of side vision in young adulthood, followed by tunnel vision and finally virtual blindness by the time a patient turns 60.
13 August 2014
A new review concludes that a supplementation with antioxidant vitamins C and E has a small protective effect on arterial stiffness, especially in people with low blood concentrations of these vitamins.
1 July 2014
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an essential component of the human diet that contributes to the protection of cell constituents from oxidative damage, normal collagen formation and the normal function of bones, skin, blood vessels, the nervous and the immune system.
10 November 2011
A new Japanese study suggests that vitamin supplement use in women might reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and elevate the risk of cancer. Experts doubt the conclusions.
