Obesity linked to macular degeneration

. Canadian researchers find that being overweight can make the cells of people's immune system destructive to their eyes as they age. A Canadian study published in the prestigious journal Science elucidates a new molecular mechanism that may cause age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The research at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosement, in Montreal, shows how life stressors such as obesity reprogram immune system cells and make them destructive to the eye as it ages. "We wanted to know why some people with a genetic predisposition develop AMD while others are spared," said Université de Montréal ophtalmology professor Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha , who led the study by his postdoctoral fellow Dr. Masayuki Hata. "Although considerable effort has been invested in understanding the genes responsible for AMD, variations and mutations in susceptibility genes only increase the risk of developing the disease, but do not cause it," Sapieha explained. "This observation suggests that we must gain a better understanding of how other factors such as environment and lifestyle contribute to disease development." AMD is a major cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and affected approximately 196 million people in 2020.