A regular diet high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fat from fish appears to reduce the risk of both early and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to an Australian study published in the Archives Of Ophthalmology.

Researchers reported a 70% reduction in the risk of developing AMD in study subjects who ate three or more portions of fish per week. However, lower weekly consumption was also beneficial with people who ate fish once a week seeing a 40% reduction in risk.

Scientists made their conclusions after reviewing results of the Blue Mountains Eye Study. A total of 3,654 people, 49 years or older, participated in the Blue Mountains Eye Study between 1992 and 1994; 2,335 were reexamined after five years. Dietary data were collected from 2,895 people at the beginning of the study by means of a food frequency questionnaire to calculate dietary fat intakes.

When the researchers calculated in terms of specific types of fats, they found that people with the lowest dietary intake of mono-unsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids, especially alpha-linolenic acid, may be at a greater risk of developing AMD.

Curious to find out if the results will hold true over a longer period of time, researchers will continue to study the same group, stating that further research using 10-year incident data would provide greater study power to investigate any potential protective effects of long-chain omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids against the development of late AMD.