Omega-3 helps against retinopathy

BOSTON, June 25 (UPI) -- Omega-3, or fish body oils, protect against the development and progression of retinopathy -- a deterioration of the retina -- in mice, says a U.S. study.

A collaborative effort by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Goteborg in Sweden, the National Eye Institute and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism explored how dietary omega-3 fatty acids protect against the development and progression of retinal disease.

The researchers found that increasing omega-3 fatty acids and decreasing omega-6 fatty acids in the diet reduced the area of vessel loss that ultimately causes the growth of the abnormal vessels and blindness, while omega-6 fatty acid contributes to the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the retina, according to the study published in the July issue of the journal Nature Medicine.

Omega-3 fatty acids create chemical compounds known as bioactive mediators, which protect against the growth of abnormal blood vessels, a condition that characterizes some forms of retinopathy, according to the researchers.