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Dietary fat and the risk of age-related maculopathy: the POLANUT Study

Abstract

This study aimed at assessing the associations of dietary fat with the risk of age-related maculopathy (ARM), in the framework of a population-based study from southern France. Nutritional data were collected using a dietitian-administered food-frequency questionnaire. ARM was classified from retinal photographs using the international classification and included neovascular age-related macular degeneration, geographic atrophy, soft indistinct drusen, soft distinct drusen associated with pigmentary abnormalities. After multivariate adjustment, high total, saturated and monounsaturated fat intake were associated with increased risk for ARM (odds ratio (OR)=4.74, P=0.007; OR=2.70, P=0.04; and OR= 3.50, P=0.03, respectively). Total polyunsaturated fatty acid was not significantly associated with ARM. Total and white fish intake was not significantly associated with ARM, but fatty fish intake (more than once a month versus less than once a month) was associated with a 60% reduction in risk for ARM (OR=0.42, P=0.01).

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France; by grants from the Fondation de France, Department of Epidemiology of Ageing, Paris, the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, Paris, the Région Languedoc-Roussillon, Montpellier, France and the Association Retina-France, Toulouse; and by financial support from Rhônes Poulenc, Essilor and Specia, and the Centre de Recherche et d'Information Nutritionnelle, Paris.

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Correspondence to C Delcourt.

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Guarantor: C Delcourt.

Contributors: CD designed and managed the study and wrote the first draft. IC performed the data management and carried out the statistical analysis. AL managed the data collection. MG provided the nutritional questionnaire and participated in the study design and data analysis. J-PC participated in the study design and data analysis and interpretation. All authors were involved in writing the final draft of the manuscript.

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Delcourt, C., Carrière, I., Cristol, JP. et al. Dietary fat and the risk of age-related maculopathy: the POLANUT Study. Eur J Clin Nutr 61, 1341–1344 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602685

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