Dietary Patterns and Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Matched Case-Control Study

Background: Previous research on diet and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has emphasized primarily particular nutrients or foods, and the influence of comprehensive dietary patterns that represent actual eating behaviors is largely unknown. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the association between dietary patterns and the odds of AMD. Methods: A case-control study involving 246 participants with AMD and 246 controls are individually matched by age and gender. Dietary patterns were identified through principal component analysis using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were applied to examine the association between the extracted dietary patterns and the likelihood of AMD. Results: Three major dietary patterns were found, accounting for 50.59% of the total variance explained. The prudent dietary pattern represented a high intake of vegetables, fruits, soybeans and its products, edible fungi and algae, and nuts were associated with reduced odds ratios (ORs) of the highest tertile compared to the lowest tertile (OR, 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.14-0.59, p for trend = 0.001). The estimated likelihood for AMD in the highest tertile of egg and milk dietary pattern intake, which is characterized by a high intake of eggs, milk and dairy products, and refined grains, was 0.40 (95% CI, 0.23-0.67, p for trend < 0.001) compared with those in the lowest tertile. No association with AMD was identified for the animal dietary pattern (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Adherence to dietary patterns rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, refined grains, eggs, milk and dairy products is associated with reduced odds of AMD, emphasizing the potential relevance of dietary habits to visual health among middle-aged and elderly adults.