E, B Vitamins Slow Ocular Opacity

E, B Vitamins Slow Ocular Opacity

BOSTON--Long-term use of vitamin E supplements as well as increased intake of riboflavin, thiamin or both of these B vitamins, may thwart age-related lens opacification, according to a study published in the April Issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology</I> (123, 4:517, 26, 2005) (http://archopht.ama-assn.org).

The five-year study involved a test population of 408 women from the Nurses Health Study, aged 52 to 74 years at baseline. The subjects' typical nutrient intake was calculated from five food frequency questionnaires collected over a 13- to 15-year period prior to evaluation of lens nuclear density at the beginning of the study. Duration of vitamin supplement use before baseline was assessed using seven questionnaires collected during the same period. The degree of nuclear density was determined through computer-assisted image analysis of digital lens images, with amount of lens opacity measured as a function of average pixel gray scale.

The researchers concluded long-term intake of vitamin E paired with higher intake of B2 (riboflavin) and B1 (thiamine) reduces the progression of age-related lens opacification.