The Mediterranean diet has been associated with a lower prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, a comprehensive prospective study involving a sufficiently large population to determine such a relationship had not been conducted to date. To address that gap, researchers from the EYE-RISK Consortium[1] pooled data from two previously published prospective analyses: the Rotterdam Study I (RS-I)[2] and the Antioxydants, Lipides Essentiels, Nutrition et Maladies Oculaires (Alienor) Study.[3]
Eye examinations were performed every 5 years during a 21-year period (1990-2011) in RS-I, and during a 4-year period (2006-2012) in Alienor. Patients' compliance with the Mediterranean diet was evaluated using a 9-component score based on intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals, fish, meat, dairy products, and alcohol, and the monounsaturated-to-saturated fatty acids ratio. The components were then used to score and classify subjects as having low, medium, or high adherence to the Mediterranean diet.
The EYE-RISK analysis included 4996 participants (4446 from RS-I and 550 from Alienor) free of advanced AMD at baseline. Mean follow-up time was 9.9 years (range, 0.6-21.7 years) in RS-I and 4.1 years (range, 2.5-5.0 years) in Alienor. Of the patients included, 155 developed advanced AMD (117 from the RS-I and 38 from Alienor).
Analyzing the pooled results with an unadjusted model revealed that the incidence of advanced AMD was significantly lower in those with a high Mediterranean diet adherence score (hazard ratio [HR], 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33-0.84;
