Association of the Intake of Nineteen Dietary Fatty Acids With Age-related Macular Degeneration in the US Population

Abstract

Abstract PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between dietary intake of fatty acids and the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the United States population. METHODS: Adult participants of the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were included in this nationwide cross-sectional study. The intake of dietary fatty acids was analyzed as a continuous and categorical variable. AMD status was assessed using nonmydriatic fundus photographs. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between dietary fatty acid intake and the risk of AMD. RESULTS: The unweighted population included 4,702 individuals of whom 374 had AMD. After adjusting for relevant variables, EPA (OR: 0.996, 95% CI: 0.993-0.996, P = 0.018), DPA (OR: 0.976, 95% CI: 0.962-0.990, P = 0.002), and DHA (OR: 0.996, 95% CI: 0.994-0.999, P = 0.003) were significantly associated with the presence of AMD. The highest versus lowest quartile of EPA (OR: 0.476, P for trend < 0.001), DPA (OR: 0.467, P for trend = 0.005) and DHA (OR: 0.586, Pfor trend = 0.008) were negatively correlated with the presence of AMD. Subgroup analysis showed that higher quartiles of EPA (OR: 0.461, P for trend < 0.002), DPA (OR: 0.467, P for trend = 0.006) and DHA (OR: 0.578, P for trend = 0.007) exhibited a negative association with early AMD. The study found no significant association between the intake of dietary fatty acids, including n-3 PUFA, and the risk of late AMD. CONCLUSIONS: In the 2005-2008 NHANES population, this study suggested a significant association between higher dietary DHA, DPA and EPA intake and reduced risk for AMD in the US population, particularly for early AMD.