Bénédicte Merle

Publications (4) View all

• Article: Oral Docosahexaenoic Acid in the Prevention of Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The Nutritional AMD Treatment 2 Study.

  Eric H Souied, Cécile Delcourt, Giuseppe Querques, Ana Bassols, Bénédicte Merle, Alain Zourdani, Theodore Smith, Pascale Benlian
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  ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-enriched oral supplementation in preventing exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). DESIGN: The Nutritional AMD Treatment 2 study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel, comparative study. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred sixty-three patients 55 years of age or older and younger than 85 years with early lesions of age-related maculopathy and visual acuity better than 0.4 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution units in the study eye and neovascular AMD in the fellow eye. METHODS: Patients were assigned randomly to receive either 840 mg/day DHA and 270 mg/day eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) from fish oil capsules or the placebo (olive oil capsules) for 3 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was time to occurrence of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in the study eye. Secondary outcome measures in the study eye were: incidence of CNV developing in patients, changes in visual acuity, occurrence and progression of drusen, and changes in EPA plus DHA level in red blood cell membrane (RBCM). RESULTS: Time to occurrence and incidence of CNV in the study eye were not significantly different between the DHA group (19.5±10.9 months and 28.4%, respectively) and the placebo group (18.7±10.6 months and 25.6%, respectively). In the DHA group, EPA plus DHA levels increased significantly in RBCM (+70%; P<0.001), suggesting that DHA easily penetrated cells, but this occurred unexpectedly also in the placebo group (+9%; P = 0.007). In the DHA-allocated group, patients steadily achieving the highest tertile of EPA plus DHA levels in RBCM had significantly lower risk (-68%; P = 0.047; hazard ratio, 0.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.99) of CNV developing over 3 years. No marked changes from baseline in best-corrected visual acuity, drusen progression, or geographic atrophy in the study eye were observed throughout the study in either group. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with unilateral exudative AMD, 3 years of oral DHA-enriched supplementation had the same effect on CNV incidence in the second eye as did the placebo. However, RBCM fatty acid measurements revealed that CNV incidence was significantly reduced in DHA-supplemented patients showing a steadily high EPA plus DHA index over 3 years. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.
  Ophthalmology 02/2013; · 5.45 Impact Factor
• Article: High Concentrations of Plasma n3 Fatty Acids Are Associated with Decreased Risk for Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

  Bénédicte M J Merle, Marie-Noëlle Delyfer, Jean-François Korobelnik, Marie-Bénédicte Rougier, Florence Malet, Catherine Féart, Mélanie Le Goff, Evelyne Peuchant, Luc Letenneur, Jean-François Dartigues, Joseph Colin, Pascale Barberger-Gateau, Cécile Delcourt
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  ABSTRACT: High dietary intakes of n3 (Ω3) PUFA and fish have been consistently associated with a decreased risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We assessed the associations of late AMD with plasma n3 PUFA, a nutritional biomarker of n3 PUFA status. The Antioxydants Lipides Essentiels Nutrition et Maladies Occulaires (Alienor) Study is a prospective, population-based study on nutrition and age-related eye diseases performed in 963 residents of Bordeaux (France) aged ≥73 y. Participants had a first eye examination in 2006-2008 and were followed for 31 mo on average. Plasma fatty acids were measured by GC from fasting blood samples collected in 1999-2001. AMD was graded from non-mydriatic color retinal photographs at all examinations and spectral domain optical coherence tomography at follow-up. After adjustment for age, gender, smoking, education, physical activity, plasma HDL-cholesterol, plasma TGs, CFH Y402H, apoE4, and ARMS2 A69S polymorphisms, and follow-up time, high plasma total n3 PUFA was associated with a reduced risk for late AMD [OR = 0.62 for 1-SD increase (95% CI: 0.44-0.88); P = 0.008]. Associations were similar for plasma 18:3n3 [OR = 0.62 (95% CI: 0.43-0.88); P = 0.008] and n3 long-chain PUFA [OR = 0.65 (95% CI: 0.46-0.92); P = 0.01]. This study gives further support to the potential role of n3 PUFAs in the prevention of late AMD and highlights the necessity of randomized clinical trials to determine more accurately the value of n3 PUFAs as a means of reducing AMD incidence.
  Journal of Nutrition 02/2013; · 3.92 Impact Factor
• Article: Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and energy, macro-, and micronutrient intakes in older persons.

  Catherine Feart, Benjamin Alles, Bénédicte Merle, Cécilia Samieri, Pascale Barberger-Gateau
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  ABSTRACT: The Mediterranean-type diet combines several foods and nutrients already individually proposed as potential protective factors against adverse health outcomes, such as cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to describe the association between adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MeDi) and intake of energy, macronutrients, and micronutrients. The study sample consisted of 1,595 individuals from Bordeaux, France, included in 2001-2002 in the Three-City Study. Adherence to a MeDi (scored as 0 to 9) was computed from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Total energy intake (EI) and nutrient intake were evaluated on a 24 h recall. Statistical analyses were stratified by gender. Both in men and women, greater MeDi adherence was associated with higher total vegetal protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), notably n - 6 PUFA, and lower total saturated fat intakes, as expressed in percentage of EI. Higher total monounsaturated fat and oleic acid intakes (% EI) were observed with greater MeDi adherence in men. Women with the highest MeDi adherence exhibited a higher mean carbohydrate, polysaccharide, and total n - 3 PUFA intakes (% EI). The consumption of fibers; vitamins B6, C, and E; folate; magnesium; potassium; and iron increased with greater MeDi adherence, both in men and women. However, consumption of calcium significantly decreased with greater MeDi adherence in women, while the ratio of n - 6/n - 3 PUFA precursors increased. This cross-sectional study provides the nutrient-related basis of the Mediterranean-type diet of French elderly community dwellers, which might participate to its well-documented beneficial effects on health.
  Journal of physiology and biochemistry 07/2012; · 1.71 Impact Factor
• Article: Dietary omega-3 fatty acids and the risk for age-related maculopathy: the Alienor Study.

  Bénédicte Merle, Marie-Noëlle Delyfer, Jean-François Korobelnik, Marie-Bénédicte Rougier, Joseph Colin, Florence Malet, Catherine Féart, Mélanie Le Goff, Jean-François Dartigues, Pascale Barberger-Gateau, Cécile Delcourt
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  ABSTRACT: Previous studies have suggested a lower risk for age-related maculopathy (ARM) in subjects with high dietary intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The authors report the associations of ARM with past dietary intakes in French elderly subjects. The Alienor Study is a population-based epidemiologic study on nutrition and age-related eye diseases performed in residents of Bordeaux 73 years of age and older. Six hundred sixty-six subjects (1289 eyes) with complete data were included in the analyses. ARM was classified from retinal photographs taken in 2006 to 2008 in five exclusive stages: late neovascular ARM (n = 21 subjects, 29 eyes); late atrophic ARM (n = 19 subjects, 33 eyes); large soft indistinct drusen and/or reticular drusen and/or large distinct drusen with pigment abnormalities (early ARM2, n = 67 subjects, 100 eyes); large soft distinct drusen alone or pigment abnormalities alone (early ARM1, n = 119 subjects, 163 eyes); and no ARM (n = 440 subjects, 964 eyes). Dietary intakes were estimated from a 24-hour dietary recall performed by dieticians (2001-2002). Associations were estimated using logistic Generalized Estimating Equation. After multivariate adjustment, subjects with high intake of long-chain omega-3 PUFA showed a decreased risk for early ARM1 (odds ratio [OR], 0.83; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.71-0.98; P = 0.03) and late neovascular ARM (OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.08-0.83; P = 0.02). Associations with late atrophic ARM were in the same direction but did not reach statistical significance (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.52-1.06; P = 0.10). Overall, high intakes of long-chain omega-3 PUFA were associated with reduced risk for late ARM (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.39-0.88; P = 0.01). These results confirm a decreased risk for ARM in subjects with high intake of long-chain omega-3 PUFA.
  Investigative ophthalmology & visual science 06/2011; 52(8):6004-11. · 3.43 Impact Factor