Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect Against Eye Diseases

If you want lasting vision, eat your fish and nuts: The omega-3 fatty acids in these foods may protect against two leading causes of human blindness, a new study in mice has found.

The results showed omega-3s help regulate blood vessel growth in our eyes. That means the fatty acids could help prevent eye diseases such as retinopathy, caused by an overgrowth of leaky blood vessels in the eyes, and age-related macular degeneration, caused by abnormal growth of blood vessels, said study researcher Dr. Lois Smith, an ophthalmologist at Children's Hospital Boston.

The fatty acids also activated proteins that improve insulin sensitivity, Smith said. Those proteins are the same ones targeted by type 2 diabetes drugs such as Avandia, so the finding shows that fatty acids could be used to improve insulin sensitivity in people with diabetes, she said.
"Although more clinical studies need to be done, it appears possible that similar to mice, patients would have improved insulin sensitivity with omega-3 fatty acids, with no increased risk of heart disease," Smith told MyHealthNewsDaily.

To get the same beneficial health effects as the mice in the study, humans would have to consume 2 grams a day of omega-3 compounds docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EHA), either as a supplement or in food, she said.

The study was published today (Feb. 9) in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Aspirin and fatty acids

Researchers also found that aspirin doesn't counteract the protective effects of omega-3 fatty acids.

This finding is especially important because aspirin is a good treatment for heart disease, and heart disease is a risk factor for macular degeneration, said Dr. Mina Chung, an associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, who was not involved with the study.

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