Macular Degeneration: Foods to Avoid Disease Progression
Medically reviewed by Johnstone M. Kim, MD
Macular degeneration, or age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a chronic eye disease that attacks your macula (the part of your retina that controls central vision). It can cause blurred vision, blind spots, and problems reading.
While age is the main risk factor for AMD, other aspects may increase your chances of having it. Research shows that people who fail to eat a healthy and balanced diet have a higher risk of AMD. Eating certain foods like red and processed meats may also add to the adverse impact of diet on your eye health.
AMD ranks as the leading cause of blindness for Americans age 65 and over. While treatments exist to slow the course of some types of AMD, there is no cure. Avoiding foods known to raise your risk of AMD may help you prevent or delay this disease and protect your vision longer.
This article explains how your diet can play a role in raising your risk of AMD and vision loss. It also lists the foods you should avoid if you have any form of this disease or at high risk of having it in the future.
Types of Foods to Avoid or Moderate with Macular Degeneration
Studies show a connection between consuming certain foods and a higher risk of macular degeneration. Generally, following a Western diet popular in the United States is linked with a greater risk of having this disease.
A typical Western diet is high in fat and sodium and low in fruits and vegetables. Portions in a Western diet are typically large, containing a lot of calories and excess sugar.
Avoiding or limiting the following foods may reduce the risk and progression of macular degeneration:
Red Meat and Processed Meat
In a systematic review of studies that linked certain food groups with the onset of macular degeneration, researchers reported an increased risk of early AMD in those who reported high meat consumption. In the same study, fish was determined to provide an 18% reduction in both early and late AMD.
Another study reported that the consumption of red meat negatively affects ocular health and may increase the risk of age-related eye diseases such as AMD or cataracts.
Red and processed meat includes the following:
Red meat:
Beef
Veal
Pork
Lamb
Processed meat (meat transformed by smoking, salting, curing, and/or the addition of chemical preservatives):
Hot dogs
Sausages
Bacon
Luncheon meats
Foods With Trans Fats
An observational study reported that a higher dietary intake of trans fats (a type of unsaturated fat considered bad fat) was linked with the presence of AMD, specifically intermediate AMD. In addition, higher consumption of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (considered good fat) were each linked with lower incidence of the disease.
Trans fats are generally considered unhealthy because of the effect they can have on heart health. They can increase levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (“bad cholesterol”) and reduce levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (“good cholesterol”), which can increase your overall cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Trans fats that occur naturally in foods like meat and dairy are generally not considered harmful. Problematic trans fats are those that are artificially produced and typically found in the following foods:
Many fried, packaged, or processed foods
Fried and battered foods like french fries, fried chicken, and doughnuts
Shortening and stick margarine
Commercially baked cakes, pies, crackers, and cookies
Refrigerated dough
Frozen foods, such as frozen pizza, ice cream, and pudding
Many "junk foods" and fast foods
Refined Carbohydrates
Refined carbohydrates are empty calories that have been processed and have most of their nutrients removed. They have a high glycemic index, which can cause rapid spikes in blood glucose levels and is linked to AMD disease progression.
Refined carbohydrates consist of refined sugars and refined grains.
Refined sugars are sugars processed from natural sources so only the sugar remains. They are typically found in sugar-sweetened foods and beverages in the following forms:
White and brown sugar (used to sweeten coffee, candy, cereals, and baked goods like cakes and cookies)
High-fructose corn syrup (used as a sweetener in processed foods like crackers, flavored yogurt, and tomato sauce)
Refined grains are processed grains with the grain's bran and germ removed from the kernel. This results in a significant loss of protein, fiber, and nutrients. The following foods are made from refined grains:
White bread
White rice
White pasta
White flour
Food products made from white flour
Foods for Wet vs. Dry AMD
There are two types of macular degeneration, wet AMD and dry AMD. Wet AMD is always late-stage disease, while dry AMD occurs in stages of early, intermediate, and late. Factors such as age, smoking, obesity, and genetics can have a larger impact than food on disease progression.
Studies that report on the effects of foods on AMD onset and progression do not always differentiate between the impact of these different types of AMD.
Making dietary changes to avoid progression to advanced-stage disease can reduce your risk of having the life-changing vision loss that can occur at this stage with either type.
Avoiding Bad Foods: Treatment or Prevention?
Avoiding bad foods is not a treatment for AMD. However, there is evidence that avoiding bad foods may have a preventive effect. One group of researchers evaluated how a Western dietary pattern consisting of red and processed meat, fried food, refined grains, and high-fat dairy together affected AMD development.
Using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, they found that diet was not significantly linked with early AMD but it increased the risk of developing late AMD threefold.
In addition to avoiding certain foods, consider eating more foods that help protect your eyes from the onset of AMD or its progression. Research indicates that adhering to a Mediterranean diet (a heart-healthy eating plan that emphasizes healthy fats like olive oil, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds and almost no red meat) is linked with a reduced risk of dry AMD progression to an advanced stage.
In this review of subjects in the AREDS (Age-Related Eye Disease Study), researchers reported that following a Mediterranean diet was linked with a 26% lower risk of AMD progression to advanced disease.
Learn More: What to Eat When You Have Macular Degeneration
Drinks to Avoid or Moderate With Macular Degeneration
The following beverages can also impact the progression of macular degeneration:
Alcohol
In a systematic review of studies that reported a link between diet and macular degeneration, researchers reported a 20% increased risk of disease for people who had high alcohol consumption.
A meta-analysis that focused specifically on the link between alcohol consumption and the risk of AMD reported that moderate and heavy alcohol consumption could increase the risk of early AMD but not late AMD.
Another group of researchers identified alcohol as a causal modifiable risk factor for advanced AMD. They reported that increased alcohol intake may be a causal risk factor for geographic atrophy, a specific type of advanced dry AMD.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines levels of alcohol consumption according to the following amounts:
Moderate alcohol consumption:
Two drinks or less in a day for men
One drink or less in a day for women
Heavy alcohol consumption
15 drinks or more per week for men
Eight drinks or more per week for women
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
Sugar-sweetened beverages are high in refined processed sugars. Drinking them can increase your consumption of refined carbohydrates. Research shows that refined carbohydrates like refined processed sugars can increase the progression of AMD.
Sugar-sweetened beverages can include the following:
Sodas
Sports drinks
Energy drinks
Some juices
Learn More: Vitamins and Supplements for Macular Degeneration
Summary
Research shows that the types of foods and drinks you consume can raise your risk of developing macular degeneration. Some of the worst foods for eye health are also linked with inflammation and the onset of chronic problems like obesity. Avoiding these foods may provide benefits to your overall health.
These foods, which include red meats, refined carbohydrates, and trans fats, are often at the core of the Western diet. Giving up certain foods may lower the risk and progression of AMD.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
