By Sharon SiddiqueMDS Secretary
About 45 of us gathered on Saturday afternoon to hear a lecture by Dr Leong Seng Kee on “Nutritional Supplements and AMD”. Before his retirement from the National University of Singapore, Dr Leong was Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy. One of his special research interests is the human nervous system, including the projection of the eye to the brain. This gives him a unique perspective on macular degeneration – its causes, its treatment, and its prevention. According to Prof Leong, the causes of macular degeneration are multi-factoral, and can be divided into two categories – non-modifiable and modifiable. Non-modifiable factors include age, family history, genetic makeup. Amongst the most important modifiable factors are quitting smoking, including green leafy vegetables and fish in the diet and avoiding transfat, and controlling hypertension and other chronic conditions. Reducing modifiable risk factors cannot cure macular degeneration, but there are studies to show that an antioxidant-rich diet, including nutritional supplements, can retard the rate of deterioration. Taking a combination of antioxidants, including Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin A (betacarotine), zinc and copper, can stop the progress of macular degeneration at the mild stage in 28% of those on such supplements. Thus in terms of modifiable factors, good nutrition is critical, and nutritional supplements appear to help to prevent, or slow, the process of macular degeneration. Dr Leong, however, also pointed out that there have been counter-studies, which have actually linked an intake of Vitamin A and E to an increase in mortality. Other studies find no relationship between high antioxidant intake and a slowing of macular degeneration. According to him, these studies are based on meta-analysis. No new research is undertaken, rather many existing studies are “trawled” for results. Such studies must be interpreted carefully because they are very selective in the cases they chose for comparative analysis. He concluded his talk with several things to remember. First, nutrients work in synergy; they can’t be assessed in isolation; they must be taken in combination. Second, the power of nutrients is in prevention, not in cure. Third, quality control in supplements is very important. For example, always choose natural vitamin E, and not the synthetic vitamin E. Dr Leong recommends the use of supplements, and he uses them himself. He sees nutritional supplements as having the ability to “prevent the preventable, and delay the inevitable”. An inspiring thought for all of us to take home and ponder.
4 comments:
It is a real pity that I could not attend the talk as I am overseas. Prof Leong certainly dished out some good advice.
There are some things we cannot change even though we very often wish we can. And these are the non-modifiable factors which he talked about. So even though it is hard, we really should stop fretting over these factors and wonder why we are so "suay" (Hokkien for unlucky) to be having macular degeneration.
Instead, we should work to improve the modifiable factors. Diet and lifestyle are two such key factors. So while I still don't eat enough green leafy vegetables and fruits, I try to make up for it with vitamins and also fish oil.
Delay the inevitable. Don't delay doing things which can change your life for the better.
Now where can I find spinach at midnight? :)
I wish someone would share with us a "good" brand for lutein. Let me clarify what I mean by "good".
I took a generic brand of glucosamine for my knee pain for more than a year but it did not work for me. However, when I changed brand to Viartril, same dosage, my knee pain went off after a week. This is what I mean by "good".
When I changed brand again to Nature's Way, the pain came back after 6months, perhaps due to the wearing off of the "good" effects of Viartril.
However, When I took lutien supplements for more than a year, the effects cannot be "seen" or felt as easily as glucosamine. My assessment is made more difficult because lutien dosage varies for different brands.
Can someone who can personally testify on the "good" effects of lutein from a particular brand please share their experience here?
I enjoyed the talk and learned more about the anatomy of the eye and AMD. Thank you very much for the arrangement.
Hi Chris,
Glad you enjoyed the talk. There is another one this Saturday, June 28th, at the SNEC, on assistive technology - how we can use technology to help us. Hope to see you there!
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