In a recent study, researchers from Taiwan have shown that people with type 2 diabetes who took a common diabetes medication, metformin, had a much lower rate of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The study suggests that the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects of metformin can protect against AMD while it controls diabetes.
Inflammation and oxidative stress have long been known to play a key role in the development of both diabetes and AMD.
Metformin suppresses inflammation and oxidative stress.
The researchers in Taiwan theorized that perhaps the diabetes drug may also protect against AMD.
AMD is one of the leading causes of blindness in Americans over age 50, affecting about 2.1 million people nationwide.
It is a degenerative disease that happens when part of the retina called the macula is damaged.
It’s the part of the eye that delivers sharp, central vision needed to see objects straight ahead.
Over time, the loss of central vision can interfere with everyday activities, such as the ability to drive, read, and see faces clearly.
It’s a complex disease that involves, genetics, environment, lifestyle factors such as smoking and diet, and systemic diseases like heart disease.
How the disease develops is not fully understood.
Previous studies have shown that oxidative stress and inflammation play a critical role in the development and progression of AMD.
Drusen formation, the earliest clinical finding, has been shown to result from a localized inflammatory response.
In the current study, the team Used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.
They collected data on all patients recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes from January 2001 to December 2013, dividing them into two groups:
Those who took metformin (45,524 patients) and those who did not (22,681 patients).
After following both groups for 13 years, the researchers found that patients in the metformin group had a significantly lower risk of developing AMD.
Half as many patients in the metformin group had AMD compared to the control group.
This study is the first to reveal the protective effect of metformin on the development of AMD.
While more study is required to determine just how metformin protects against the development of AMD, the team believes that this is an exciting development for patients at risk.
The lead author is Yu-Yen Chen, M.D.
The research was presented at AAO 2018, the 122nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Besides diabetes drug metformin, a healthy lifestyle could also help prevent AMD.
For example, one recent study shows that eating vegetable nitrates, found mainly in green leafy vegetables and beetroot, could help reduce the risk of AMD.
Researchers at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research interviewed more than 2,000 Australian adults aged over 49 and followed them over a 15-year period.
They found that people who ate between 100 to 142 mgs of vegetable nitrates each day had a 35% lower risk of developing early AMD than people who ate less than 69mgs of vegetable nitrates each day.
Copyright © 2018 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
Source: American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
