Researchers from the French Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) evaluated in rats the medical benefits of a food supplement (sold commercially without a prescription) composed of antioxidants and omega 3 to fight against AMD.
“Studies relate the benefits, not always very clear moreover, of isolated components: certain vitamins, omega-3 … But no medical evaluation is carried out when marketing a mixture of these. molecules. We wanted to test the real capacity of one of these products to protect the retina in a context of degeneration induced by light, ”explains Isabelle Ranchon-Cole, neuroscience researcher and co-author of the study.
Scientists enriched the rats’ diet with nutritional supplements rich in antioxidants, fish oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids and in trace elements. Then, they exposed them to high intensity cyclic light (12 hours of light / 12 hours of night) which normally triggers the death of retinal cells and the onset of AMD.
The results of their experiment showed that a diet enriched with these food supplements helped protect the retina of rats against this eye disease.
The researchers observed a lipid modification of the retina, without altering either its structure or its functioning.
“This nutritional supplement made it possible to protect the retinas from degeneration induced by light, whereas this deleterious phenomenon was obvious in the control animals”, explained Isabelle Ranchon-Cole.
Slow the progression of AMD
If the results were conclusive in rodents, they should be tested in humans and at lower doses. “However, the daily doses used in this study were proportionately higher than those consumed by humans and the duration of treatment shorter. Consequently, it would be interesting to evaluate the effect of smaller doses administered for longer, ”concludes Isabelle Ranchon-Cole.
Researchers also want to understand whether this same nutritional mix slows disease progression in animals with a genetic mutation that leads to early retinal degeneration.
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