Large study of male physicians suggests vitamin C and E supplementation unlikely to have a significant effect on early AMD

Source: Ophthalmology
Area: News
According to research published early online in, supplementation with high-dose vitamin E and vitamin C, alone or in combination, is unlikely to have a beneficial effect on the incidence of early AMD.   The authors note that the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) showed that daily supplementation with zinc and a high-dose antioxidant combination (vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta carotene) could reduce the risk of advanced AMD by 25% in persons with intermediate AMD or advanced AMD in one eye.  The study was not however sufficiently powered to determine whether the combination could delay the onset or progression of early AMD.  They discuss data published so far in this area, which have failed to show any benefits of vitamin E or beta carotene.  Gaps in the data however remain.   In this report, they present the final results for AMD from the vitamin E and vitamin C components of the Physician's Health Study II (PHS II).  PHS II is an ...