Curcuma-based supplements show promise for age-related macular degeneration

Curcuma-based nutritional supplements (CBNS) have the potential to reduce the risk of incident age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or progression to later stages of AMD, according to a retrospective study.

Researchers used data from TriNetX and identified patients with no history of AMD who had subsequent instances of CBNS prescription records and those who had no history of AMD or a CBNS prescription record (comparator). Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to control for baseline demographics and medical comorbidities.

Main outcome measures included the incidence of nonexudative AMD, exudative AMD, advanced nonexudative AMD or geographic atrophy (GA), blindness, or requiring intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy.

A total of 66,804 participants in the CBNS cohort (mean age 64.9 years, 66.1 percent female) and 1,809,440 participants (mean age 67.0 years, 55.2 percent female) in the comparator cohort were identified. After PSM, 66,799 participants in each cohort were included in the analyses.

In the subgroup of participants who were at least 50 years of age, CBNS use was associated with lower risk of nonexudative AMD (relative risk [RR], 0.23, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.21–0.26; p<0.001), advanced nonexudative AMD or GA (RR, 0.11, 95 percent CI, 0.07–0.17; p<0.001), exudative AMD (RR, 0.28, 95 percent CI, 0.24–0.32; p<0.001), blindness (RR, 0.46, 95 percent CI, 0.36–0.59; p<0.001), or requiring intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy (RR, 0.15, 95 percent CI, 0.13–0.17; p<0.001) when compared with nonuse.

The findings held true in the subgroup of participants in the ≥60- and ≥70-year age subgroups.

Among patients with early nonexudative AMD, CBNS use reduced the risk of progression to advanced nonexudative AMD or GA by 42 percent compared with nonuse (RR, 0.58, 95 percent CI, 0.41–0.81; p<0.001).