High Levels of Vitamin D Associated With a Lower Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration
April 25, 2011 - Post-menopausal women with high levels of vitamin D in their blood have a lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.
This conclusion comes from a large study of 1313 women in the United States, which measured the levels of vitamin D in the women’s blood and asked questions about their diet and lifestyle.
Women ages 50-75 who had high levels of vitamin D in their blood (over 38 nmol/L of 25(OH)D) reduced their odds of developing the first stages of age-related macular degeneration by 48%.
These benefits appeared to come from diet alone, the vitamin D women consumed from food and supplements. No relationship was observed using self-reported time spent in direct sunlight. The top food sources of vitamin D in the sample were milk, fish, fortified margarine and fortified cereal.
This study was part of the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, a large scale study of women’s health behaviours that has been ongoing for many years. Although this study focused only on women, early research has suggested that both men and women can benefit from the consumption of vitamin D.
This study was published in the Archives of Ophthalmology by Dr. Amy Millen and her colleagues.