Abstract
Purpose:
To assess the association of physical activity (PA) with the presence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Methods:
22,402 participants of the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS) underwent color fundus photography, which was graded for the presence of AMD according to the International Classification and Grading System, 10 years after a comprehensive baseline assessment of lifestyle, diet, systemic health and habitual physical activity, using questionnaires. Data were analyzed using logistic regression models, adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, waist to hip ratio, country of birth and alcohol consumption.
Results:
Of the 21,033 participants who meet inclusion criteria, 2,812 were classified as having AMD. 3,022 reported exercising vigorously one to two times per week and 2,601 reported exercising vigorously three or more times per week. The unadjusted odds of AMD were reduced for those who exercise vigorously 1-2 times per week (OR 0.84 95%CI 0.74-0.94) and for those who exercised vigorously three or more times per week (OR 0.75 95%CI 0.65-0.85) compared to those who did not exercise vigorously. After adjusting for other factors, a significant reduction in the odds of AMD was seen in women who exercised vigorously three or more times per week (OR 0.80 95% 0.66-0.98) but not 1-2 times per week (OR 0.96 95% CI 0.82-1.12) and not for males in either category. Walking and non-vigorous exercise were not found to have any significant effect on the odds of having AMD.
Conclusions:
Frequent vigorous exercise may be associated with reducing the prevalence of AMD in women. This reinforces the public health message of keeping active thoughout life.