Nutritional supplementation
of omega-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly DHA (docosahexaenoic
acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), may prevent eye disease, report
researchers from Harvard Medical School and the National Eye Institute.
The new study, published in the biomedical research journal Nature
Medicine, has found that dietary intake of omega-3 DHA and EPA increases
the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. This ratio is significant
because increased omega-6 consumption is linked with an increased risk of
retinopathy, a sight-threatening disease that affects 4 million premature
infants and diabetics in the United States.
Retinopathy of prematurity and diabetic retinopathy feature abnormal
growth of blood vessels in the eye. The team of researchers studied the
influence of omega-3’s on vessel loss and regrowth after injury in the
mouse retina. They determined increasing the omega-3 acids by dietary
intake limited pathological blood vessel growth by reducing the production
of inflammatory mediators in the eye.
This study also confirms that Western diets are often deficient in
omega-3. Statistics verify that Americans have the lowest intake of omega-3
of any developed country. DHA, the omega-3 present in every cell membrane
of the human body, is also highly concentrated in the brain, retina, and
heart. It is vital to good health.
Studies published in peer-reviewed journals have determined that
patients with a variety of diseases are often deficient in omega-3 fatty
acids, folic acid, and other B vitamins such as vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.
Doctors are now using the prescription supplement Animi-3(R) to precisely
deliver these nutrients to different patients.
“This new research explores important considerations for
ophthalmologists with respect to omega-3 supplementation,” said PBM
Pharmaceuticals President Jack Schramm. “We specially formulated Animi-3
with nutritional deficiencies in mind, which is why it is indicated for
improving nutritional status in conditions requiring these essential
nutrients.”
Each capsule of Animi-3 contains 500 mg of omega-3 acids, including 350
mg of DHA, and 35 mg of EPA. For more information, visit
animi-3.
PBM Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
animi-3