Lutein and Zeaxanthin Also Benefit Healthy Eyes

by | Jul 2, 2008 | 2008, Eye Health, Lutein, Macular Degeneration, Zeaxanthin

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. This study found that lutein and zexanthin can help eye health even if you don’t have age-related macular degeneration.

When paired together, calcium and vitamin D provide a number of health benefits, including bone health (1), colon health (2) and blood sugar health (3). Now, lutein and zeaxanthin are starting to be paired together because of their health effects, specifically eye health (4). They have also been linked to artery health (5). Egg yolks and green vegetables such as kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, romaine lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, garden peas, and brussel sprouts are among the best natural sources of lutein and zeaxanthin.

Lutein and Zeazanthin’s eye health benefits have related to helping patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This condition is the leading cause of irreversible visual impairment and blindness in the U.S. (6), causing vision loss in more than 200,000 people every year in the U.S (7). It is expected to increase to 3 million cases of vision loss over the next 20 years (8) as the baby boomer generation ages.

Now a new study (9) has found that lutein and zexanthin can help eye health even if you don’t have AMD. In the study, 40 healthy subjects with an average age of 24 years and with no history of eye problems were given 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin per day for 6 months. They were examined at 1, 2, 4, and 6 months and underwent an eye exam that included response to  glare, measuring levels of lutein & zeaxanthin in the eye (called “Macular Pigment Optical Density” (MPOD)) and “photostress recovery”. These measurements can indicate early degeneration of the retina (10, 11) and lead to AMD, glaucoma or cataracts.

The researchers found that patients in the supplement group had a 39% increase in MPOD and could tolerate 58% more intense glaring light before losing their ability to detect a central target. Similarly, the subjects receiving supplements had 14% faster photostress recovery time. These results led the researchers to conclude that “4 to 6 months of 12 mg daily [lutein & zeaxanthin] supplementation significantly increases MPOD and improves visual performance in glare for most subjects.”

Source: Stringham, James M., and Billy R. Hammond. “Macular pigment and visual performance under glare conditions.” Optometry & Vision Science 85, no. 2 (2008): 82-88.

© 2008 American Academy of Optometry

References:

  1. Boonen S.  Need for Additional Calcium to Reduce the Risk of Hip Fracture with Vitamin D Supplementation: Evidence from a Comparative Metaanalysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Clin Endocrinol Metab 2007; 92(4): 1415-1423
  2. Park SY. Calcium and Vitamin D Intake and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: The Multiethnic Cohort Study.  American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published on January 10, 2007.  Am. J. Epidemiol. 2007 165: 784-793
  3. Hu FB.  Vitamin D and Calcium Intake in Relation to Type 2 Diabetes in Women.  Diabetes Care 29: 650-656
  4. Trieschmann M.  Changes in macular pigment optical density and serum concentrations of its constituent carotenoids following supplemental lutein and zeaxanthin: The LUNA study.  Exp Eye Res 2007; 84(4): 718-728
  5. Lidebjer C.  Low plasma levels of oxygenated carotenoids in patients with coronary artery disease.  Nutr Metab Cardio Dis 2006.  In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 30 June 2000
  6. National Advisory Eye Council. Vision Research—A National Plan: 1999-2003, Vol. 1. A Report of the National Advisory Eye Council. Bethesda, Md: National Institutes of Health; 1999. NIH publication 98-4120
  7. National Institutes of Health National Eye Institute and Prevent Blindness America. Vision Problems in the US: Prevalence of Adult Vision Impairment and Age-Related Eye Disease in America. Schaumburg, Ill: Prevent Blindness America; 2002
  8. Eye Disease Prevalence Research Group. Prevalence of age-related macular degeneration in the United States. Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122:564-572
  9. Macular Pigment and Visual Performance under Glare Conditions” in the February 2008 issue of Optometry and Vision Science
  10. Beatty S, Boulton M, Henson D, Koh HH, Murray IJ. Macular pigment and age related macular degeneration. Br J Ophthalmol 1999;83:867–77.
  11. Wooten BR, Hammond BR. Macular pigment: influences on visual acuity and visibility. Prog Retin Eye Res 2002;21:225–40