Why Was Beta Carotene Removed From AREDS2 Vitamin Formula?
JUL 28, 2014
Question:
Why was beta carotene omitted from Bausch & Lomb's AREDS-2 formulation?
Answer:
The change in the AREDS formulation (nutritional supplements used to slow the progress of age-related macular degeneration, or AMD) results from the AREDS2 trial, where former smokers who took the formulation with beta-carotene had a higher incidence of lung cancer. This was not the case when taking the formulation with lutein/zeaxanthin. Also, participants who took a formulation with lutein/zeaxanthin and no beta-carotene had a slightly lower risk of progressing to advanced AMD when compared to those who took the previous formulation with beta-carotene and no lutein/zeaxanthin.