Too much supplementation can be harmful. For instance too much vitamin A can be toxic to the liver, too much vitamin E can interfere with blood thinners, and zinc interferes with absorption of many medications and has been associated with Alzheimers and prostate cancer. The ideal source of vitamins and minerals is of course obtained through proper nutrition, and here are your best sources:
Lutein/Xeaxanthin – green, leafy vegetables; yellow, orange and red fruits and vegetables; eggs; poultry
Omega 3 – cold water fatty fish (salmon/trout) at least twice weekly
Vitamin A – milk, eggs, liver, fortified cereals, darkly colored orange or green vegetables (such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and kale), and orange fruits such as cantaloupe, apricots, peaches, papayas, and mangos.
Vitamin C – red berries, kiwi, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, and juices made from guava, grapefruit, and orange.
Vitamin E – vegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables, avocados, olives, wheat germ, and whole grains
Zinc – oysters, liver, beef, lamb, crab, wheat germ, sesame and pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, peanuts
There are many easy things you can do to increase your intake of these healthy nutrients. If you would like a place to start, we recommend a book called “EyeFoods” which can be purchased online, or at our office. There are great recipes here.
Since there is no consensus on the proper dosage of supplements, a combination of good diet and supplementation is your best defense. You may be given a questionnaire by your optometrist that takes into account your current intake of nutrients. Your general health, other medications/supplements, age, and risk or presence of AMD will determine the recommendation given. It is important that this advice be discussed with your family physician before embarking on any long term supplementation. It is also important to control other modifiable risk factors including cessation of smoking and exposure to second hand smoke (smoking increases your risk by 6 times!). UV exposure can also increase your risk of AMD, especially if you are young.
In addition to prevention of AMD, most of the above also applies to the prevention of early cataract formation. Omega-3 supplementation (especially in the triglyceride as opposed to ethyl ester form) also greatly aids in the treatment of Dry Eye disease. Our optometrists can discuss this in more detail at your visit.