Fish consumption could reduce DR risk

The findings, which were reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association – Ophthalmology, were a result of a sub-study conducted within the frame of the Spanish PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) trial.The randomised, clinical PREDIMED trial tested Mediterranean diets supplented with extra virgin olive oil or nuts and compared th to a control diet for primary cardiovascular prevention.{{quote-A:R-W:450-Q:Those who met the dietary recommendation had a 48% reduced risk of sight-threatening DR compared with those who had an intake of less than 500 mg of LCω3PUFA per day.}}The sub-study included data from 3,482 patients enrolled in the PREDIMED trial who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The cohort’s mean age was 67.The researchers set an exposure target based on the long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCω3PUFA) dietary recommendation for primary cardiovascular protection – a minimum intake of 500 mg of per day. Of the group, 2,611 participants (75%) met the recommendation.During a median follow-up of six years, with the main outcome being incident DR requiring laser photocoagulation, vitrectomy, and/or antiangiogenic therapy, the researchers documented 69 new events.When adjusted for various parameters, the data indicated that those who met the dietary recommendation had a 48% reduced risk of sight-threatening DR compared with those who had an intake of less than 500 mg of LCω3PUFA per day.Higher risk reductions were also observed in participants with hypertension, those who had had diabetes for more than five years, and those who were treated with insulin at baseline.“In middle-aged and older individuals with type 2 diabetes, intake of at least 500 mg per day of dietary LCω3PUFA, easily achievable with two weekly servings of oily fish, is associated with a decreased risk of sight-threatening DR,” the researchers concluded.