Newswise, November 19, 2016— In the past decade,
ophthalmologists have been prescribing nutritional supplements to be taken
daily to prevent or slow vision loss from age-related macular degeneration
(AMD). Now, using nutritional supplements for eye health has become more
common. But does increasing the recommended dose increase your
protection?
A case report appearing online in JAMA Ophthalmology from
the Moran Eye
Center at the University of Utah reveals what can happen
when a patient takes more of a supplement than their body needs.
In the article, Crystalline Maculopathy Associated with
High-Dose Lutein Supplementation, principal investigator Paul Bernstein, M.D., Ph.D., describes a patient
with no AMD or vision problems who was referred to the retinal clinic for
crystal deposits in the macular region of the retina in both eyes.
With physician follow-up, it was learned that for the past
eight years, the patient took a daily lutein supplement (20 mg) in addition to
a diet rich in lutein, which included a broccoli, kale, spinach, and avocado
smoothie every morning; she was therefore consuming much more than twice the
recommended dose of lutein for an AMD patient (10 mg per day).
Lutein is part of the AMD prevention supplement regimen that
was created based on results from the AREDS2 (Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2)
clinical trial.
In that trial, researchers found that patients at high risk
for visual loss from AMD who took lutein (10 mg) and zeaxanthin (2 mg)
supplements reduced their risk of progressing to late stage AMD. Lutein and
zeaxanthin are carotenoids—antioxidants made by plants—that are believed to
neutralize light-induced damage in the eye.
Humans don’t make carotenoids, so they can only be added to
the body by eating plants or taking supplements.
“When we looked at the patient’s carotenoid levels in serum,
skin, and the retina, all measurements were at least two times greater than
carotenoid levels in patients not taking nutritional supplements,” said
Bernstein.
“The patient quit taking the lutein supplement, but maintained
her diet rich in lutein, and, after seven months, the crystals in the right eye
disappeared.”
While AREDS2 supplements are recommended to patients at higher
risk for AMD, there has also been increased use in the general population.
Bernstein’s advice for his patients is that “everyone should eat an
‘eye-healthy’ diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, and individuals
should take an AREDS2 supplement if their ophthalmologist detects signs of
AMD.”
This case report must followed up by a larger clinical trial
before the results can be considered conclusive but it serves as an indicator
that there may be negative effects from consuming lutein considerably higher
than the recommended AREDS2 dose.
