Feb 25 2009
Vitamin B and Folic Acid May Lower Risk of AMD
A team of Harvard researchers found that women who took a combination of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 had a 35% to 40% lower risk of developing age related macular degeneration (AMD) than women who took a placebo.
A group of 5442 female health care professionals 40 years or older (of whom 5205 did not have a diagnosis of AMD at the beginning of the study) received either a combination of folic acid/B6/B12 or a placebo.
After more than seven years of treatment and follow-up, 137 women were diagnosed with AMD. Of these 137:
- 55 had been taking the supplements; 82 had been taking the placebo.
- 70 had ‘visually significant AMD’, including 26 who had been taking the supplements and 44 who had been taking the placebo.
Researchers concluded that daily supplementation with folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) may reduce the risk of AMD.
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SOURCE: “Folic Acid, Pyridoxine, and Cyanocobalamin Combination Treatment and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Women”, Christen et al, Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(4):335-341.
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