Posted Nov 26, 2009
NEW supplement carrying an anti-oxidant that staves off blindness has been launched in Scotland.
The multi-vitamin will tackle a steep decline in the average consumption of lutein, which has fallen by half since the Second World War.
According to leading ophthalmologist Professor Ian Grierson, wartime rationing provided two-thirds of the required level of lutein compared to the one-third provided by today’s diets.
He was speaking at the launch in Scotland of the new supplement containing the ingredient, together with omega-3 and vitamins that slow the progress of macular degeneration.
Age-related macular degeneration, AMD, is thought to affect about 63,000 Scots, leading to a large blind spot in the centre of the eye. Sufferers find it increasingly difficult to read, eat or recognise people and are at risk of falling down stairs.
AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world and affects the macula, an area at the back of the eye . It happens when the cells that scavenge the area fall down on the job and a lot of debris builds up – known as “dry” AMD, the most common form.
This can progress to “wet” AMD, when blood vessels start growing out of control and leaking. This is rarer but much more rapid and serious. Risk factors include poor diet, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and excessive exposure to short-wave light and advancing age. Women and Caucasians are also more vulnerable, and a family history is also a risk factor.
Research has already shown that supplements containing vitamins C and E, and also zinc, can slow the progress from dry to wet, and a number of products containing these have been marketed.
A more recent study has shown protective effects from lutein and zeaxanthin, which as carotenoids help to provide a filter in front of the macula to protect it against light damage .
The new additives also act as anti-oxidants, scavenging the free radicals that accumulate around the macula in AMD.
All have been included in a new vitamin supplement, Ocuvit Complete, launched by the optical company Bausch and Lomb.
Mr Grierson said: “The recommended daily intake of lutein for normal health is 6mg, and during the war the average intake was 4mg. Powdered egg was a good source. Now it is down to 2mg.”
Mr Grierson said that a diet rich in oily fish, fruit and vegetables like carrots and peppers could make a difference – but he takes supplements too.
He said: “I am all in favour of a good diet but the reality is we don’t have a good diet nowadays ” “There are certainly a lot of people out there who would benefit from the supplements. They cost GBP15 a month, which is cheap if they are doing you some good, but it is still a hole in the budget and you have to weigh it up.
“If you are 30 and have a good diet the answer is probably no.
“But if you are 40-50, have a lousy diet, a relative with AMD, or one or two other risk factors, then it would be well worth thinking about.”
Date: Nov 26, 2009