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Old 04-17-2013, 09:56 PM
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blueash blueash is offline
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Default AREDS and AREDS2

Two large studies have been done on use of vitamin/mineral supplementation to slow the progress of macular degeneration. The first AREDS was completed in 2001 and showed benefit to the specific product used. A new study looking at more nutrients is now complete, AREDS2 and the result of the study should be reported before the summer.
The AREDS summary is available Antioxidant Vitamins and Zinc Reduce Risk of Vision Loss from Age-Related Macular Degeneration [NEI News and Events]
and it includes the exact ingredients used in the study.

The website for the AREDS2 data is AREDS2.ORG
No data is yet available

These are long term studies taking years to either show or refute benefit. Of course they occur because of smaller suggestive data. The need for long term studies for some sort of reliability always means that the "truth" takes longer to be known than the hype. If you wait until a long term study shows benefit you will be upset that you didn't start the product when you first heard the hype. If the product is shown to be worthless or perhaps even dangerous and you did start early you will be upset that you wasted time and lots of money for nothing. There soon will be more clarity but it won't answer all the questions... What if we used more of this and less of that?