Metabolomic Signatures of Healthy Dietary Patterns Associated With Lower Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of metabolomic signatures reflecting adherence and metabolic response to dietary patterns with prevalence and structural severity of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 1008 eyes from 504 participants, metabolomic profiles in plasma and urine were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Previously derived signatures for eight dietary patterns-including the Alternate Mediterranean diet (AMED), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), plant-based diet indices (PDIs), and two mechanism-based diets including Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP) and Empirical Dietary Index for Hyperinsulinemia (EDIH)-were evaluated for association with AMD using linear mixed models and Mendelian randomization (MR). Results: Each signature (38-66 metabolites) correlated with its dietary pattern score (Pearson r = 0.16-0.30). Per SD increase in plasma signatures of four healthy dietary patterns (AMED, DASH, PDI, and healthy PDI [hPDI]) were associated with 12% to 16% lower odds of AMD and reduced severity, whereas the unhealthy PDI (uPDI) signature was associated with 13% higher odds and greater severity (false discovery rate [FDR] < 0.05). DASH showed the strongest inverse association with AMD and with atrophy, hyper-reflective foci, and ellipsoid-zone disruption (β = -0.808 to -0.613). Further MR analyses found that genetically instrumented signatures of DASH and Alternate Health Eating Index (AHEI)-2010 were inversely associated with AMD, whereas the EDIP signature was positively associated. Conclusions: Metabolomic signatures of healthy dietary patterns are associated with lower odds and reduced structural severity of AMD. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to validate these findings.
Authors: Haemin Kang, Huan Yun, Shuhua Xu, Jun Li, Kevin Mendez, Ines Lains, Archana Nigalye, Raviv Katz, Krupa Sourirajan, Roshni Bhat, Georgiy Kozak, Hanna Choi, Augustine Bannerman, Rodrigo A. Alvarez, David Wu, Ivana K. Kim, John B. Miller, Demetrios G. Vavvas, Joan W. Miller, Jessica Lasky-Su, Liming Liang, Deeba Husain
Language: English
Subfield: Ophthalmology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,850
OpenAlex ID: W7225236604