AGEs and ARMD

[Guest guest]

My focus is brainal diseases so I looked at AGEs and ARMD, probably my worst concern.

Cause of ARMD is unknown but they're looking at possible indicators:

In AMD, activation of the RAGE axis in RPE cells may contribute to upregulation of VEGF, potentially inciting or propagating neovascular macular disease.PMID: 17325184

The choroid is the element back of the retina that fills with stuff, blocking circulation.

The CML adduct releases TNF alpha which might induce the production and release of VEGF for the abnormal choroidal neovascularization in the patients of age-related macular degeneration. PMID: 17202673

This author makes quite positive statements:

Advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) formation is a trigger for the onset of age-related disease. ...

A subset of transcriptional changes is similar to early atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by matrix expansion and lipid deposition. These changes suggest an important contribution of a single environmental stimulus to the complex aging response. PMID: 16081535

And it's dose dependent:

AGE accumulation, as occurs with normal aging and in disease, may induce receptor-mediated activation of RPE/photoreceptor cells, contributing to disease progression in the aging human retinas. PMID: 15452081

And:

CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that glycoxidation products are present in subretinal membranes of patients with ARMD. The concomitant expression of RAGE in these membranes and the finding of activated NFkB is suggestive of an implication of glycoxidation product formation in the pathogenesis of the disease. PMID: 10393061

So the choroid fills with stuff and starts the first phase which is called "dry" since it's not "bleeding" thru. At some point, the bleeding (wet type) starts and they try to stop it with laser therapy.

ARMD radically changes a person's life.

The AREDS study put forth a supplement called TOZAL

TOZAL = taurine, omega-3 fatty acids {fish oil}, zinc, antioxidants and lutein.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed & pubmedid=17324285

Table 2

Nutritional supplement formulation

Component

Weight

Percent of daily value

Vitamin A (total)

28,640 IU

573%

Vitamin A

10,000 IU

Natural Beta-Carotene

18,640 IU

Vitamin C

452 mg

753%

Vitamin E

200 IU

667%

Zinc Oxide

69.6 mg

464%

Copper

1.6 mg

80%

Taurine

400 mg

EPA Omega-3 Fatty Acids

180 mg

DHA Omega-3 Fatty Acids

120 mg

Lutein (free, not esterified)

8 mg

Zeaxanthin

400 mcg

BMC Ophthalmol. 2007; 7: 3.

Published online 2007 February 26. doi: 10.1186/1471-2415-7-3.

Copyright © 2007 Cangemi; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

A 87yo friend says her eyes are no better after a year, but they're not getting any worse.

Regards