Eating fish 'cuts women's eyesight loss risk in old age'

Women who regularly consume fish and omega-3 fatty acids have a lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a new study.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston collected data on 38,022 women, who had not been diagnosed with AMD. Information on their eating habits, including their intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, was collected and their eye health tracked over 10 years.

The researchers found that women who consumed the most omega-3 fatty acids had a 38 percent lower risk of developing AMD compared with those who ate the least. Consuming one or more servings of fish a week was linked to a 42 per cent lower risk of sight loss compared with eating one serving a month.

It also showed that consumption of one or more servings of fish per week was linked to a 42 percent lower risk of AMD when compared to less than one serving per month. "This lower risk appeared to be due primarily to consumption of canned tuna fish and dark-meat fish," said lead author William G. Christen.

"These prospective data from a large population of women with no prior diagnosis of AMD indicate that regular consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and fish significantly reduced the risk of incident AMD," concluded the authors.