Nutritional AMD treatment phase I (NAT-1): Feasibility of oral DHA supplementation in age-related macular degeneration

作者：Querques G^*; Benlian P; Chanu B; Portal C; Coscas G; Soubrane G; Souied E H

来源：European Journal of Ophthalmology, 2009, 19(1): 100-106.

• Age-related macular degeneration
• Apoptosis
• Dietary supplementation
• Docosahexaenoic acid
• Omega-3
• Polyunsaturated fatty acid

Purpose. To create a pilot study in order to evaluate the feasibility of a prospective case-control study of oral supplementation with fish oil (docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]; eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]) in a population with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods. A homogeneous group of 38 patients with drusenoid pigment epithelial detachment in one eye (PED) without choroidal new vessels (CNV) was selected. A complete ophthalmologic examination, and a complete profile of fatty acids in serum (S) and in red blood cell membranes (RBCM), were recorded at day 0 and month 6. In group 1, 22 patients were orally supplemented with EPA (720 mg/day) and DHA (480 mg/ day) during 6 months. In group 2, 16 patients were followed as controls. Nutritional recommendations on fish consumption were given to both groups. Results. In group 1, after 6 months supplementation we observed a significant blood enrichment in EPA (EPA-S: 2.20 vs 0.79, p<0.0001 and EPA-RBCM: 2.24 vs 0.85, p<0.0001) and in DHA (DHA-S: 2.47 vs 1.56, p<0.0001 and DHA-RBCM: 6.47 vs 4.67, p<0.0001). No change was observed in group 2 despite nutritional recommendations. In this short follow-up, no evolution to CNV was noted in either of the two groups. Neither side effects nor dropouts were observed in either of the groups. Conclusions. This study supports the feasibility of a long-term double-masked prospective case-control study in an AMD population in order to evaluate a potential benefit from oral supplementation with DHA.