Continued from BITES
Scientific Evidence From the AREDS & AREDS2 Studies
AREDS
- Which participants in the AREDS study benefited?
- Only those with intermediate AMD or those with advanced AMD in one eye but not the other eye were less likely to progress to advanced AMD – only the wet AMD – than patients who received a placebo over the 7-year study period.
- They did not protect from advancement to dry advanced AMD called geographic atrophy.
- They did NOT find any significant reduction in risk for those with early AMD.
- The participants who did not have AMD were in a section of the study on cataract formation not the AMD part of the study.
- The numbers:
- 25% less likely when they took the antioxidants (Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Beta Carotene) and 80 mg Zinc.
- 17% less likely when they took just the antioxidants, no Zinc.
- They did NOT find any significant reduction in risk for those with early AMD.
- The participants who did not have AMD were in a section of the study on cataract formation not the AMD part of the study.
- What became the PreserVision formulation from the study that became available in 2001? 500 mg Vitamin C, 400 IUs Vitamin E, 80 mg Zinc, 2 mg Copper (because of the zinc) and 15 mg beta carotene.
AREDS2
- Which participants in the AREDS2 study benefited? Just like in the AREDS study:
- Only those with intermediate AMD or those with advanced AMD in one eye but not the other eye were less likely to progress to advanced AMD – only the wet AMD – than patients who received a placebo over the 7-year study period.
- They did not protect from advancement to dry advanced AMD called geographic atrophy.
- There were no participants who did not have AMD or who had early AMD.
- The numbers:
- It’s not easy to break down the results as was done above for AREDS. There was no placebo group so everyone in the study got some kind of treatment. The groups who had the most benefit took the AREDS formulation of 500 mg Vitamin C, 400 IUs Vitamin E but without beta carotene (high risk of lung cancer). Lutein & Zeaxanthin were substituted. There were 2 groups who took this formulation but different doses of zinc: one group got 25 mg of zinc and one group got 80 mg zinc. Both groups did equally as well.
- There were no participants in the group who had early AMD because the previous study (AREDS) did not find any benefit for them.
- What became the PreserVision formulation from the study that became available in 2013? 500 mg Vitamin C, 400 IUs Vitamin E, 80 mg Zinc, 2 mg Copper (because of the zinc), 10 mg lutein, and 2 mg zeaxanthin.