N-Acetylcysteine and Macular Degeneration

By Dr. Kevin -

 A large study from Taiwan found that people who took the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) had a
much lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The study used national health insurance data and included over 5,000 NAC users and 5,000 non-users. NAC users showed a significantly lower risk of both dry and wet AMD, especially at higher doses, suggesting a dose-response effect.

NAC helps protect cells by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, both key factors in AMD. However, the benefit was mainly seen in those taking larger or longer-term doses, and the data for wet AMD were less certain due to fewer cases. The authors caution that, since this was a retrospective database study, more prospective clinical research is needed to confirm NAC’s protective role and clarify the optimal dosage.

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