G'day G'day Folks,

I don't know whether to cheer or groan.  

If only the eight years of research had also included zeaxanthin and
lutein.

Betacarotene is NOT found in the retina of the eye. Its efficacy, if
any, in this trial could be solely from its functioning in the
antioxidant network. As the results still held even when it excluded
supplementation it is reasonable to assume betacarotene might well
only have been a marker for eating fruit and vegetables.  Fruit and
vegetables bring along many helpful substance eg polyphenols, lutein
and zeaxanthin which all seem relevant.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/520823_print

"This population-based cohort included all inhabitants aged 55 years
or older in a middle-class suburb of Rotterdam, including 5,836
persons at risk for AMD at baseline, of whom 4,765 had reliable
dietary data and 4,170 participated in follow-up. The primary endpoint
was incident AMD, defined as soft distinct drusen with pigment
alterations, indistinct or reticular drusen, geographic atrophy, or
choroidal neovascularization.

After a mean follow-up of 8.0 years (range, 0.3 - 13.9 years), 560
participants developed incident AMD. Dietary intake of both vitamin E
and zinc was inversely associated with incident AMD (hazard ratio [HR]
per SD increase of
vitamin E intake, 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84 - 1.00; and
for zinc intake, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.83 - 0.98).

Participants with an above-median intake of all 4 nutrients studied
(beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc) had a 35% reduction in
risk for AMD (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.46 - 0.92). This association
persisted after exclusion of supplement users"

Best wishes,