Higher Levels of Lutein and Zeaxanthin Linked to Reduced Likelihood of Incident Frailty

by | Feb 22, 2023 | 2022, Aging, Lutein, Zeaxanthin

Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. Results of the study using data from the TILDA cohort shows that subjects with lower plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations at baseline were cross-sectionally associated with frailty. 

woman helping an elderly woman walkAging is the irreversibly progressive decline of physiological function, which eventually leads to age-related diseases1. Sarcopenia, the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength/function, is a pervasive feature of aging2. The effects of aging in the musculoskeletal system impacts a large proportion of society and is primarily manifested in muscle, bone, cartilage, and tendon and can lead to an increased risk of falls and fractures3. The changes to musculoskeletal tissues are multifactorial and include reduced activity levels, chronic low-grade inflammation, oxidative stress, and impaired autophagy4.

A higher risk of frailty has previously been related to a low intake of micronutrients and possibly resulting in nutritional deficiencies5. Dietary antioxidants inhibit or delay oxidation and carotenoids reduce damage from oxygen species and modulate redox-sensitive transcription factors that are involved in upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines6. Lutein and zeaxanthin have been researched for their anti-inflammatory compounds, with a potentially protective role in chronic aging diseases that include bone health7.

Murphy et al. conducted a study to analyze the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between baseline plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations and indices of musculoskeletal health and the longitudinal association between plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations and incident frailty. Data used was from TILDA, a nationally representative prospective cohort of community-dwelling adults age ≥50 years in Ireland. Study inclusion consisted of having valid lutein and zeaxanthin plasma concentration measurements, complete data on cross-sectional outcome measures (grip strength, usual gait speed, timed up-and-go (TUG) performance, and bone stiffness index), and complete data on relevant covariates from Wave 1 and Wave 5 of the study.

Subjects (n=1425) demographic information including age, sex, highest education level, smoking habits, alcohol intake, height, and body mass index were recorded from health assessments, interviews, and self-reporting questionnaires. Fasted blood samples were obtained, and lutein and zeaxanthin were measured using the reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography method. Frailty was assessed using the Fried’s frailty phenotype, Frailty Index, FRAIL Scale, and Clinical Frailty Scale-classification tree.

Directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) covariates included in the models of the cross-sectional and longitudinal association between plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations and grip strength, physical performance and bone health were age, sex, BMI, education, physical activity, number of chronic diseases, alcohol intake, smoking, and unintentional weight loss. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the cross-sectional associations between plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations and maximal grip strength, usual gait speed, TUG, and calcaneal stiffness index. Binary logistic regression models were used to examine the association between plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations and probable sarcopenia.

Participants had a mean age of 62 ± 8 years and were 53% female. Prevalence of possible sarcopenia was 14% and prefrailty was 30%, 31%, and 18% and prevalence of frailty was 2%, 10%, and 1%, respectively, based on the frailty assessment tools. Significant findings of the study are as follows:

  • Plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations were positively associated with usual gait speed and TUG performance (all p < 0.01), but not with maximal grip strength.
  • Neither plasma concentrations of lutein (OR 0.95, 95 % CI 0.89, 1.02, p = 0.17, per 100 nmol/L increase) nor zeaxanthin (OR 0.95, 95 % CI 0.78, 1.14, p = 0.56, per 100 nmol/L increase) were cross-sectionally associated with probable sarcopenia.
  • There were no associations between plasma concentrations of lutein (OR 1.01, 95 % CI 0.91, 1.11, p = 0.90, per 100 nmol/L increase) or zeaxanthin (OR 1.06, 95 % CI 0.83, 1.34, p = 0.66, per 100 nmol/L increase) and incident probable sarcopenia.

Results of the study using data from a large longitudinal cohort of older adults suggests that lower concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin were associated with incident frailty. Furthermore, baseline concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin were positively associated with various indices of musculoskeletal health such as usual gait speed and TUG performance. Study limitations include the shorter time interval between musculoskeletal measurements and differences in testing environment and the lack of measurements of lutein and zeaxanthin at various times throughout the study.

Source: Murphy, Caoileann H., Eoin Duggan, James Davis, Aisling M. O’Halloran, Silvin P. Knight, Rose Anne Kenny, Sinead N. McCarthy, and Roman Romero-Ortuno. “Plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations associated with musculoskeletal health and incident frailty in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).” Experimental Gerontology (2022): 112013.

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Click here to read the full text study.

Posted February 22, 2022.

Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.

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