Aging of the eye: Lessons from cataracts and age-related macular degeneration

LEF Macuguard has 10mg lutein and 4mg zeaxanthin per gelcap and no Vit C/E or Zinc/Copper (Preservision has 5mg lutein and 1mg zeaxanthin per cap)

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Vision defender has 10mg Meso-Zeaxanthin, 10mg Lutein and 2mg Zeaxanthin and none of the vitamins which I prefer as I get those in my multi

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Their latest study investigates a potential therapy that could slow or even reverse the aging process in the eye while helping prevent conditions like age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

“We show the potential for reversing age-related vision loss,” explains Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, PhD, an associate professor in UC Irvine’s Departments of Physiology and Biophysics and Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. The research was conducted in collaboration with the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Health and Medical University in Potsdam, Germany. The team published their findings in Science Translational Medicine under the title “Retinal polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation reverses aging-related vision decline in mice.”

Understanding the “Aging” Gene

This work expands on an earlier study of the Elongation of Very Long Chain Fatty Acids Protein 2 (ELOVL2), a gene known to be an important marker of aging. “We showed that we have lower vision when this ELOVL2 enzyme isn’t active,” says Skowronska-Krawczyk, who is also part of the Robert M. Brunson Center for Translational Vision Research at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine. In that previous research, boosting ELOVL2 activity in older mice increased levels of the omega−3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the eye, resulting in better vision.

Restoring Vision Through Fatty Acid Supplementation

As people grow older, changes in lipid metabolism reduce levels of very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs) in the retina. This decline can harm vision and contribute to AMD. The ELOVL2 gene helps produce both VLC-PUFAs and DHA, but when its function weakens with age, so does the eye’s ability to maintain these essential molecules.

To compensate, the UC Irvine team injected older mice with a specific polyunsaturated fatty acid. The result was striking — the animals’ visual performance improved. “It’s a proof-of-concept for turning lipid injection into a possible therapy,” says Skowronska-Krawczyk. “What is important is that we didn’t see the same effect with DHA.” Others have also questioned the ability of DHA to slow AMD progression.

“Our work really confirms the fact that DHA alone cannot do the work, but we have this other fatty acid that is seemingly working and improving vision in aged animals,” says Skowronska-Krawczyk. “We have also shown on a molecular level that it actually reverses the aging features.”

Full story: https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-may-have-found-a-simple-way-to-reverse-aging-eyes/

Relates to earlier post by @adssx here: Predicting Alzheimers & Dementia (and minimizing risk) - #570 by adssx

Research Paper (paywalled):

Retinal polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation reverses aging-related vision decline in mice

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.ads5769

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