Female patients with a genetic predisposition for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) significantly increase their odds of developing the disease if they smoke heavily, don’t exercise, and don’t eat a balanced diet, says an observational study of women funded by the National Eye Institute. "If you have a family history of AMD, the good news is that the study findings suggest that there are things you can do to potentially lower your risk of developing AMD yourself," said Julie A Mares, Ph.D., at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where the study was conducted. The study’s teams were led by Dr. Mares and Barbara A. Blodi, M.D., in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, in collaboration with investigators from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and Oregon Health Science University. According to Medical News Today, “The researchers studied the risk among women ages 50 to 79 years who had participated in the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease Study (CAREDS), an ancillary investigation of the much larger Women's Health Initiative, an observational study that has tracked the health-related behaviors and outcomes of more than 160,000 women since 1991.” The investigative team evaluated the diet and exercise patterns of 1663 women and categorized them into lowest-, moderate-, and highest-risk groups. Patients were asked if they smoked and, if so, for how many years and how often.  Almost 340 women in the study developed AMD. Ninety-one percent had an early stage of the disease. “Among women with stable diets, those who carried two high-risk genetic alleles, smoked at least seven pack-years, and were in the highest-risk diet and exercise categories were more than four times more likely to have AMD compared to those women who did not have genetic risk factors and who ate a healthy diet and got at least 10 hours/week of light exercise (such as housework or walking at a pace you could sing to) or at least eight hours of moderate activity (such as brisk walking),” said Medical News Today. Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe vision loss in adults over the age of 55, affecting millions of Americans a year. Low macular pigment is a key risk factor of age-related macular degeneration. Macular pigment absorbs harmful blue light, protecting the photo-receptors from damage while improving visual performance. About 78 percent of the U.S. population has less than optimal macular pigment optical density (MPOD). Macular pigment is made up of the antioxidants zeaxanthin and lutein. Unfortunately most people don’t ingest the proper amount of zeaxanthin because trace amounts of the carotenoid are found in foods like eggs and corn. In these cases, supplementation can be of service. EyePromise macular pigment formulas are designed to increase macular pigment, providing vision protection and enhancement. To learn more, download the whitepaper: A Closer Look at AMD – Proactive Risk Management.