Dietary supplement combats oxidative stress associated with retinopathy

The launch of a specialized dietary supplement (DiaVis,ScienceBased Health) to support the visual and overall health ofthose with diabetes was announced at the American Academy ofOphthalmology meeting.

Currently 24 million Americans-8% of the population and nearly25% of those aged 60 years or more-suffer from diabetes. This,added to the 57 million Americans with pre-diabetes, equals atotal of 81 million Americans who either have the condition orare considered at risk, according to 2007 prevalence data fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Retinopathy affects up to 80% of people with diabetes and is themost common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause ofblindness.

Nutrients that are low in diabetics due to inadequate nutrientintake, increased excretion, and altered nutrient requirementsdue to higher oxidative stress or use of diabetes-relatedmedications, have been identified by research. Antioxidants,which have been found to play an important role in helping tocombat oxidative stress, are low in those with diabetes andretinopathy.

The supplement delivers a blend of key antioxidants (Pycnogenol)and other nutrients found to play a role in helping to combatoxidative stress and inflammation, and that tend to be low inthose with diabetes. Also delivered are ingredients found to playa role in normal glucose metabolism and retinal vesselhealth.

"[The supplement] was developed for those with diabetes as well as theoverwhelming number of people with pre-diabetes,” said AlainMagro, president, ScienceBased Health. "Research shows thatdamage to the body is already occurring in the pre-diabetes phaseand that certain nutrients can play a crucial role in bolsteringthe body's defenses. We believe that [the supplement] represents the mostadvanced scientific research on the role of nutrition in diabetichealth."