- Glaucoma is a type of eye disease that can injure the optic nerve and lead to blindness.
- Past studies show there are several ways a person can help lower their risk for glaucoma, including eating a healthy diet rich in certain nutrients.
- A new study has found that supplementation with B vitamins and choline may help slow the progression of glaucoma, via a mouse model.
About 80 million people globally live with glaucoma — an umbrella term for a group of eye diseases that can injure the optic nerve, leading to blindness.
There is currently no cure for glaucoma. Medications, surgery, and laser treatments are currently used to help treat and slow the progression of the condition.
Past studies show there are several ways a person can help lower their risk for glaucoma, including not smoking, exercising regularly, wearing sunglasses, limiting caffeine intake, lowering their blood pressure, and eating a healthy diet.
Researchers have also previously identified certain nutrients that might help protect a person’s eyes from glaucoma, including omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B3, vitamin A, vitamin C, and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin.
Now, a new study recently published in the journal Cell Reports MedicineTrusted Source adds to this body of knowledge by reporting that supplementation with B vitamins and the essential nutrient choline may help slow the progression of glaucoma, via a mouse model.
For this study, researchers focused on an amino acid that naturally occurs in the body called homocysteine. Homocysteine plays a crucial role in protein synthesis.
However, past studies show that too much homocysteine in the body — known as hyperhomocysteinemiaTrusted Source — can lead to health issues such as cardiovascular problems, cognitive decline, and elevated risk for stroke. High homocysteine levels can also be an indicator of a vitamin B deficiency, as B vitamins are what help break down homocysteine in the body.
Past studies have linked high homocysteine levels to the development and progression of glaucoma.
However, in this current study, researchers found when mice with glaucoma were given higher levels of homocysteine, it did not make their glaucoma worse. They also discovered that increased amounts of homocysteine in the blood were not linked to how fast the disease progressed.
“Our conclusion is that homocysteine is a bystander in the disease process, not a player,” James Tribble, researcher and assistant professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and co-lead author of this study said in a press release.
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