More Reason to Diet

Study Says Obesity May Worsen AMD

A recent study published in the June 2003 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology followed 261 patients at least 60 years old and who had signs of mild age-related macular degeneration (AMD) over an average of 4.6 years. Researchers measured the patients' height, weight and blood pressure annually. They determined that overweight and obese participants were more than twice as likely to have their macular degeneration worsen to the advanced form of the disease during the course of the study than those who were thinner. They also associated a larger waist-to-hip ratio with an increased risk of disease progression.