Perspective: A Critical Look at the Ancillary Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2: Nutrition and Cognitive Function Results in Older Individuals with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Billy R Hammond Jr; Lisa M Renzi-Hammond

doi:10.3945/an.115.011866

Perspective: A Critical Look at the Ancillary Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2: Nutrition and Cognitive Function Results in Older Individuals with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Adv Nutr. 2016 May 16;7(3):433-7. doi: 10.3945/an.115.011866. Print 2016 May.

Authors

Billy R Hammond Jr¹, Lisa M Renzi-Hammond²

Affiliations

¹ Vision Sciences and Human Biofactors Laboratory, Behavioral and Brain Sciences Program, Department of Psychology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA bhammond@uga.edu.
² Vision Sciences and Human Biofactors Laboratory, Behavioral and Brain Sciences Program, Department of Psychology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Abstract

A large body of literature suggests that the dietary carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid are related to improved cognitive function across the life span. A recent report by the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) group appears to contradict the general findings of others in the field. In this review, we look critically at the methods, study designs, and analysis techniques used in the larger body of literature and compare them with the recent AREDS reports.

Keywords: AREDS; aging; cognition; long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; lutein/zeaxanthin.

MeSH terms

Aged
Aging
Clinical Trials as Topic*
Cognition Disorders / prevention & control*
Fatty Acids / therapeutic use*
Female
Humans
Lutein / therapeutic use*
Macular Degeneration / prevention & control*
Male
Research Design*
Zeaxanthins / therapeutic use*

Substances

Fatty Acids
Zeaxanthins
Lutein