WATERFORD, Ireland—There is an inverse relationship between the density of optical pigment—comprised of certain dietary carotenoids—and age, according to a new study (Ophthalmic Res. 2010;44:131-39. DOI: 10.1159/000315531). As part of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging, researchers from Waterford Institute of Technology and the Institute of Vision Research compared macular pigment optical density (MPOD) in subjects over age 50 years with MPOD values from a normative database of subjects ages 18 to 60 years. The pilot study included 79 subjects, aged 65 +/- 11 years. The researchers found a moderate, but statistically significant age-related decline in MPOD, which remained upon merging with the normative database. The inverse association between MPOD and increasing age is a starting point to determine the relationship with MPOD and development and/or progression of AMD, as well as the possible role of the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin, the dietary consumption of which comprises for the macular pigment (MP).
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