Mediterranean diet lessens AMD risk

The Mediterranean diet has long been lauded for its confirmed health benefits and now offering protection against age-related macular degeneration can be added to its list of benefits. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish and limited red meat and butter are the hallmarks of the Mediterranean diet. The University of Coimbra in Portugal launched the research study which included 883 people aged 55 and older and was conducted between 2013 and 2015. 449 people had early stage AMD and 434 participants did not have AMD. Researchers examined participant answers to a questionnaire that assessed how frequently they ate foods associated with the Mediterranean diet. Participants were scored on a scale of 0-9 with 9 being the highest adherence. Those with a score of 6 or greater were considered to follow the diet closely. What the researchers found was that those who followed the diet most closely had a 35 percent lower risk of having AMD.*