Supplements May Help People With Diabetes Avoid Retinopathy

Vitamins C and E and magnesium could help prevent or limit diabetic retinopathy (DR), a potentially blinding disease, since each nutrient causes the body to respond in ways that alter retinopathy mechanisms. Vitamins C and E suppress production of a growth factor, VEG-F, which can promote abnormal blood vessels in the retina. And high dietary levels of magnesium are associated with lower blood pressure and blood sugar, both of which correlate with a lower risk of retinopathy.

A research team led by Amanda Adler, MD, PhD, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge, United Kingdom, thinks the research should continue. "Ideally, future studies would include frequent measurement of intake of these three nutrients through diet and supplements, standardized exams to identify DR, and agreed-upon biomarkers to assess DR progression," Dr. Adler said.

The opinion was published in the January 2010 issue of Ophthalmology.