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Eyesight is a weak link in the aging process. Retinal function progressively declines even in healthy aging and is sped up by a variety of health issues. Loss of vision issues are at epidemic levels in older Americans. The authors of a new study conclude, “Dietary DHA could have broad preventative therapeutic applications (acting on pathologic and normal age-related ocular processes).”
One hallmark of the aging process is accumulation of lipofuscin. Lipofuscin is an accumulation of damaged fat fragments. When these occur under your skin we call them age spots. They occur in your brain and block memory. When they occur at an accelerated rate they typify poor health and disease risk. Lipofuscin accumulation in the retina is highly associated with age-related macular degeneration.
In order to study the effect of DHA on this issue scientists used a transgenic mouse model (mutant human ELOVL4; E4), which displays extensive age-related retina dysfunction and massive lipofuscin accumulation. They measured the lipofuscin accumulation by determining the levels of one of the components of the lipofuscin called A2E. The effect of DHA was also measured in normal mice.
Supplementation for one to three months had no effect. As supplementation continued, improvement was noted in both types of mice. The longer the mice were supplemented (up to 18 months in this study), the better the results. In the mutant mice destined for retinal disease, problems were arrested mid-degenerative stage, preventing the onset of retinal disease. In the normal mice the typical lipofuscin accumulation in the retina was prevented. This study provides a specific and important mechanism demonstrating how DHA protects eyesight.
This study supports the ongoing use of DHA to preserve eyesight. A few months of DHA is likely to do little, whereas the ongoing use of DHA started earlier in life is much more likely to have large benefits for eyesight preservation. This is similar to the idea of looking in the mirror at age 80 and wondering what you can do about your wrinkles. It would have been a lot better to get started at an earlier age. Since loss or serious reduction in eyesight has such a profound impact on quality of life this is yet another example of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure.
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One hallmark of the aging process is accumulation of lipofuscin. Lipofuscin is an accumulation of damaged fat fragments. When these occur under your skin we call them age spots. They occur in your brain and block memory. When they occur at an accelerated rate they typify poor health and disease risk. Lipofuscin accumulation in the retina is highly associated with age-related macular degeneration.
In order to study the effect of DHA on this issue scientists used a transgenic mouse model (mutant human ELOVL4; E4), which displays extensive age-related retina dysfunction and massive lipofuscin accumulation. They measured the lipofuscin accumulation by determining the levels of one of the components of the lipofuscin called A2E. The effect of DHA was also measured in normal mice.
Supplementation for one to three months had no effect. As supplementation continued, improvement was noted in both types of mice. The longer the mice were supplemented (up to 18 months in this study), the better the results. In the mutant mice destined for retinal disease, problems were arrested mid-degenerative stage, preventing the onset of retinal disease. In the normal mice the typical lipofuscin accumulation in the retina was prevented. This study provides a specific and important mechanism demonstrating how DHA protects eyesight.
This study supports the ongoing use of DHA to preserve eyesight. A few months of DHA is likely to do little, whereas the ongoing use of DHA started earlier in life is much more likely to have large benefits for eyesight preservation. This is similar to the idea of looking in the mirror at age 80 and wondering what you can do about your wrinkles. It would have been a lot better to get started at an earlier age. Since loss or serious reduction in eyesight has such a profound impact on quality of life this is yet another example of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure.
More...