Western Diet Linked to Vision Loss - Study

A new study which spanned 18 years investigated dietary patterns and the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).  The first of its kind, the study has found an association between a poor diet and AMD.  Lead author Amy Millen, associate professor in the department of epidemiology and environmental health at the University at Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions, said people are aware of cardiovascular and obesity risks when it comes to diet, but much of the public does not know that eating unhealthy can lead to vision loss.  The study, published last month in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, included nearly 1,300 people from a nationally representative sample.  There were 117 who had early AMD, and 27 had late AMD. 

The research team studied data from a 66-line item food frequency questionnaire,which was used to identify 29 foods groups.  The researchers categorized diet patterns into two groups.  The first, called “prudent,” or healthful.  The other is called “Western,” which included large amounts of “processed and red meat, fried food, dessert, eggs, refined grains, high fat dairy, and sugar sweetened beverages.”  The study found that people who ate Western diets were three times more likely to develop late-stage age-related macular degeneration.