Sunday, April 20, 2025
HomeAge WellAgingHow does calcium intake affect the risk of age-related macular degeneration?

How does calcium intake affect the risk of age-related macular degeneration?

Age-related macular degeneration has been associated with an increase and decrease of dietary and supplementary calcium intake. This study aimed to clarify these mixed results.

Age-related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in developed countries. It is usually associated with an increase in age. The retina is located at the back of the eye, consisting of light-sensing nervous tissue. The macula is the small central part of the retina, which is what begins to deteriorate during age-related macular degeneration.

Previously, the role of dietary and supplementary calcium in age-related macular degeneration has been unclear. Mixed findings have indicated that either increasing or decreasing calcium intake can be harmful. To clarify this, Tisdale and colleagues evaluated the association of dietary and supplementary calcium intake with the progression of age-related macular degeneration. They published their results in JAMA Ophthalmology.

They investigated studies that included participants enrolled in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study, which enrolled patients from academic and community-based retinal practices in the United States between 1992 and 2001. The study included men and women with varying severity of age-related macular degeneration.

The study found that more dietary and supplementary calcium intake was associated with a lower incidence of progression to late age-related macular degeneration. However, it is important to note that one of the biggest limitations of this study is that the amount of calcium intake was self-reported. Therefore, more studies considering this hypothesis are needed.

Written by Unaisa Bhayat, BMedSc

Reference: Tisdale A. K., Agron E., Sunshine S. B., Clemons T. E., Ferris F. L., Chew E. Y. Association of Dietary and Supplementary Calcium Intake With Age-Related Macular Degeneration. JAMA Ophthalmology. 2019.

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest News and Articles

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTERS

Stay Connected
10,288FansLike
820FollowersFollow
249FollowersFollow
2,787FollowersFollow

Article of the month

Recurring Bacterial Vaginosis? Get your man medicated

Aussie sex scientists say that when it comes to recurring bacterial vaginosis, men can help by getting to work on their own down under.

Joke Of The Day – April 20

- Doctor, is it known to science why people go bald? -Yes, we have the exact answer. People go bald because their hair falls out...

ADVERTISE WITH US

error: Content is read-only and copy-protected.