Leading international researchers have shown that the AREDS2 formula, using the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin instead of beta-carotene supplements, not only reduces the risk of lung cancer, but is more effective in reducing the risk of AMD progression. .

The study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology and funded by the US medical research agency National Institutes of Health (NIH), followed 3,883 of the initial 4,203 AREDS2 participants to analyze 10 years of data.

After a decade, the group initially assigned to lutein/zeaxanthin had an additional 20% reduced risk of progression to late AMD compared to those initially assigned to beta-carotene.

Studies on age-related eye diseases (AREDS and AREDS2) initially established that dietary supplements can slow the progression of AMD.

But since beta-carotene was reported to increase the risk of lung cancer in current smokers in two NIH-supported studies, the AREDS2 study aimed to create an equally effective supplement formula that could be used by anyone, whether he smokes or not.

“These 10-year data confirm that not only is the new formula safer, but that it better slows the progression of AMD,” said Dr. Emily Chew, director of the division of epidemiology and clinical application at the National Eye Institute (NEI), and lead author. of the study report, said.

The original AREDS study, initiated in 1996, showed that a dietary supplement formulation (500 mg of vitamin C, 400 international units of vitamin E, 2 mg of copper, 80 mg of zinc and 15 mg of beta-carotene) could significantly slow the progression of AMD from moderate to late disease.

However, two concurrent studies also found that people who smoked and took beta-carotene had a significantly higher risk of lung cancer than expected.

In AREDS2, started in 2006, Chew and his colleagues compared the beta-carotene formulation to a formulation containing 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin instead. The beta-carotene-containing training was only given to participants who had never smoked or who had quit smoking.

At the end of the AREDS2 five-year study period, the researchers concluded that lutein and zeaxanthin did not increase the risk of lung cancer and that the new training may reduce the risk of lung cancer progression. AMD of about 26%.

After the end of the five-year study period, study participants were all offered the final AREDS2 training which included lutein and zeaxanthin instead of beta-carotene.

In the new report, researchers followed 3,883 of the original 4,203 AREDS2 participants an additional five years from the end of the AREDS2 study in 2011, gathering information on their AMD progression to late disease and if they had been diagnosed. with lung cancer.

Even though all participants switched to the formula containing lutein and zeaxanthin after the end of the study period, they reported that the follow-up study continued to show that beta-carotene increased cancer risk lung for people who had ever smoked almost doubled. .

There was no increased risk of lung cancer in people receiving lutein/zeaxanthin.

Additionally, after 10 years, the group initially assigned to receive lutein/zeaxanthin had an additional 20% reduced risk of progression to late AMD compared to those initially assigned to receive beta-carotene.

“These results confirmed that switching our formula from beta-carotene to lutein and zeaxanthin was the right choice,” Chew added.

More information can be found here.

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