Omega-3 Non-Blind Mice

Fishing for clues to better eyesight?

Heavy-hitting researchers from Harvard Med School, National Eye Institute and National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently completed a study that proved omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect the retina from retinopathy, a disease of the eye.

Retinopathy, the NIH article said, is a condition caused by the growth of abnormal blood vessels that causes deterioration of the retina, and diminishes eyesight. When mice were fed diets rich with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, they did not contract retinopathy. Researchers determined that bioactive mediators, created by omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, protect against this growth.

Additionally, the retina is the place in the body that contains the most amount of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Omega-3s have long been touted for years by practitioners of alternative medicine to produce beneficial effects on the overall health of babies in utero as well.

For more information, log onto NIH News at http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2007/nei-24.htm.