Vitamins for Eye Health: What are AREDS Supplements?

Desiree Delane - The Upside Blog | Vitacost.com/blog

by | Updated: March 31st, 2024 | Read time: 8 minutes

Before you read this, did you thank your eyes? Unless you look in the mirror all day, it’s easy to forget how central your peepers are to life and living. Like breathing, sight can be taken for granted until something goes wrong.

More complex than the internet and iPhones, the two high beams in your head that brighten your path are not only more impressive, they’re way more essential to a vibrant life. From seeing oncoming danger, to knowing up from down and sensing day and night, your eyes play a central role in keeping you safe and balanced.

Woman on Couch Looking at Bottle of Vitamins for Eye Health Wondering What are AREDS Supplements

The eyes have it

Perhaps the top takeaway from modern health research is that we have much more control over our health than previously realized. It turns out that many problems and conditions once blamed on aging can be prevented or at least alleviated through a healthy lifestyle. Exhibit A: eye health.

While it’s a fact that visual sharpness and sensitivity (like seeing details) naturally decline with advancing age, you hold a greater stake in strengthening and extending your eye health. What true for the rest of the body – eat right, stay active, avoid harm – holds for your baby blues (or gorgeous greens, or beautiful browns).

Caring for your eyesight, especially as you age, is easy to incorporate into your daily wellness plan. And since most of us rely on supplements to support our best life, you might be wondering if you’re taking the right vitamins and minerals to enjoy lasting eye health, too.

Vitamins for eye health, by the experts

There’s a lot of research available on just about any supplement ingredient, but a surprising lack when it comes to full formulas. In the USA, supplements don’t have to be proven effective or safe, relying more on a collection of evidence on each ingredient to substantiate their claims. But in a rare and comprehensive effort by the National Eye Institute, a sector of the National Institutes of Health, a team of experts have delivered a well-backed supplement that should catch your eye.

Launched 25 years ago, the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS) clinical trials focused on the most common eye conditions encountered by adults over age 60: macular degeneration and cataracts. Building upon the foundational role of nutrition in maintaining healthy eyes and vision, AREDS researchers sought to find out which nutrients, and in what amounts, made the most impact on these familiar foes to aging eyes.

Between 1999 and 2022, over 70 AREDS studies (and counting) have been published – reporting consistently positive data. But with disappointing direction on outwitting the occurrence of cataracts, the majority of AREDS research has concentrated on age-related macular degeneration (AMD). And the overall evidence is worth your glance.

Macular marvels

In case your unfamiliar, the macula is the focal center of your retina – command central of your eye. And while the retina makes it possible to see, each marvelous macula helps your eyes focus on what’s straight ahead, highlighting and contrasting every color and detail in bright clarity. Thanks to your maculae, you can recognize faces, dot your i’s and cross your t’s, and appreciate fine art. Unfortunately, this intricate insight leaves the macula more vulnerable to direct and indirect damage.

AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in the U.S., and more than 30% of adults over 75 are diagnosed with some degree of macular degeneration every year. It’s typically slow to develop, not showing symptoms for years or even decades. Gradually increasing blurriness and loss of clarity are the hallmarks of the late-stage AMD. Found earlier, however, AREDs data suggests that there are practical ways to impede its severity and progress.

AREDS antioxidants

Much of what we call aging is actually caused by free radical damage. In simple terms, free radicals are both “free” and “radical” in negative ways that can undermine the healthy structure and function of every cell in your body. Your body generates free radicals on its own, especially when stressed. Sunlight, toxic chemicals and ultra-processed foods are prime instigators of oxidative stress.

Under optimal conditions, your body’s built-in antioxidant system cancels the chaos that free radicals can bring. But this stabilizing force naturally declines with age, and also depends on several dietary essentials to stay at peak defense. It’s not a stretch to proclaim antioxidants as the fountain of youth, so it’s no surprise that AREDs researchers put them on their A-list.

Vitamins C and E are an antioxidant tag-team, partnering up to quench free radicals, absorb blue light and maintain healthy eye capillaries. Along with this vitamin duo, carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin are macular gurus. It turns out that your eyes are home base for these antioxidants, found most abundantly in leafy greens and rainbow-colored veggies.

Another reason that carotenoids are a feast for your eyes is that they also serve as precursors to vitamin A retinoids. It’s no coincidence that retin-oids support the retin-a! Inspired by the vibrant plants from which they came, carotenoids are a necessity for seeing color and for healthy night vision. Most famous and abundant of the plant-based carotenoids is beta carotene, making it a shoo-in for AREDS studies.

Zinc for a better blink

Your body works hard to help you enjoy life and stay well. And zinc is one of the hardest-working minerals to make that possible. At the top of zinc’s resume is helping cells grow, function and repair themselves from oxidative damage. Rapidly metabolizing cells, like those in your eyes, need lots of zinc.

It’s no surprise, then, that your eyes are popular hangout spot for both carotenoids and zinc, making an antioxidant army to defend your eyes and vision. But since zinc’s protective power extends throughout the body, this might mineral goes where it’s needed most at any point in time. So if you’re injured, unwell, or burned out by stress, your body demands even more zinc to keep a guard on your eyes, too.

Any nutrient that works as a hard as zinc needs a few sidekicks, and copper is one of zinc’s closest antioxidant allies. At the same time, this tight-knit duo works in a critical balance. Too much of one or the other can be just as detrimental as too little. That’s why most zinc supplements, including AREDS, include copper to keep these defenders fighting free radicals from the same side.

AREDS supplements: proof & patents

One of the reasons that AREDS supplements have gotten so much attention is that they represent a precedent for “clinically proven” supplements. Unlike pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drugs, supplements don’t require clinical studies before they can be sold. Plus, AREDS data showed particular benefits for people already diagnosed with AMD – implying prescriptive claims that can’t really be made on dietary supplements. Oddly enough, while the study protocols showed influence on the progression of AMD, there hasn’t been sufficient evidence to say the AREDS formulas might reduce its onset.

Another AREDS novelty is that the exact combination of ingredients and amounts used in research are not just patented, they’re exclusive. While brands can claim “AREDS-based” formulas, direct copycats risk a day in court. That doesn’t mean competing products are ineffective; minor tweaks relieve the liability and may still be just as effective. But it does mean that consumers should be more diligent when checking the Supplement Facts.

The patented AREDS formulas also stand out for providing high levels of vitamins and minerals – some at levels far in excess of recommended daily intakes for healthy adults. Clinical trials typically use larger doses (or compare low and high doses) to increase the chances of eliciting a measurable response. And the significant results churned out by the AREDS studies, combined with a strong safety record, suggested that the same high-potency formulas should be offered to the public.

When more isn’t beta

Despite being backed by gold-standard evidence, early AREDS studies found a few consistent conundrums that called for a closer look. During the original clinical trials, dutiful researchers kept an eye on safety and raised red flags when adverse events started adding up.

If you’ve already given AREDS supplements a glance or two, you may have come across products labeled ‘AREDS2’. One notable finding in the initial AREDS studies was that a significant number of former smokers who took the original formula developed lung cancer. Surprisingly, the culprit turned out to be supplemental beta-carotene.

Even if scientists still aren’t sure what led to these cases, the degree of severity demanded that formulators go back to the drawing board. And in a serendipitous turn of events, the new-and-improved AREDS2 formula worked even better. Beta carotene isn’t the only carotenoid, and the macula actually favors lutein and zeaxanthin, especially in a 5-to-1 ratio. But since non-smokers experienced more benefits than harm, the original AREDS formula is still in play.

Zinc proved to be another case in point showing that more isn’t always better. While the original AREDS studies gave a hefty 80 mg to participants (more than 7 times the RDI) without incident, follow-up trials with 25 mg of zinc showed similar benefits. Without officially changing the formula, the NIH admits the that the lower level of zinc you might find in AREDS-like products may be just as beneficial. You might even be getting that much in your daily multivitamin.

Focus on the fine details

The unprecedented level of research-backing, the uniquely potent ingredients, and the unequaled claims make AREDS supplements eye-catching. But despite being commonly recommended by ophthalmologists and optometrists, these favored formulas demand that consumers do their homework. Like all products in their class, AREDS supplements may or may not be best for everyone, or they may provide varying degrees of symptom support.

If one word characterizes AREDS supplements, it’s specific. It’s essential to read the full eye chart to find out the who, the what, and the when. Here’s your cheat sheet with the specifics:

  • Who should consider taking AREDS?  – If you’re age 50-85, or have a family history of AMD
  • What’s the exact formula? – Both AREDS and AREDS2 formulas are available and contain clinically proven ingredients; choose AREDS2 if you smoke
  • When might they be most helpful? – When you’ve been diagnosed with intermediate-stage AMD
  • How might they help? – These supplements may help support macular health, help protect against oxidative damage and promote healthy eyes and vision moving forward

AREDS Chart

Lifelong eye health

Whether or not AREDS are right for you, take this as a wink to focus on your eye health today. Like whole body wellness, prevention is key to (literally) keeping your future bright. Dazzle your eyes with platefuls of vibrant colors and nutrient-rich whole foods. Protect your peepers with hats and sunglasses. Embrace times of digital detox and get more ZZZs instead. Nourish your eyes now for a clearer tomorrow.

These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

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