Beta carotene has no effect in ARM study

Beta carotene pills to prevent the incidence of age-related maculopathy (ARM) have no beneficial affects, according to a new study in Archives of Ophthalmology.

US researchers undertook a placebo-controlled trial among 22,000 healthy male doctors aged 40-84 years at the start of the study. Participants were split into two groups - with one group assigned to receive 50mg of beta carotene every other day and the other given placebos.

The men were followed on average for 12 years and at the end of the trial there were 162 cases of ARM in the beta carotene group and 170 in the placebo group.