The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Vitamin D and age-related macular degeneration

    Researchers from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey report that vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) might protect against age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

    First, the details.

    • Fundus photographs (pictures of the back of the eye) from more than 7500 patients (11% with AMD) taken from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were evaluated.
    • These findings were related to blood levels of vitamin D and early and advanced AMD.

    And, the results.

    • Overall, the highest vitamin D blood levels were associated with a 40% lower risk of early AMD but not advanced AMD.
    • Drinking more milk was associated with a lower prevalence of early AMD.
    • Consistent use of vitamin D from supplements was associated with less early AMD only in people who did not consume milk daily.

    Dr. Niyati Parekh says the benefits of vitamin D might be due to an “anti-inflammatory effect or by preventing the growth of new blood vessels in the retina, which contributes to some forms of AMD.”

    The bottom line?
    Got milk?

    5/24/07 19:45 JR

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