Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. A study involving 17 mice reveals that lutein protects light-sensitive cells from light-induced DNA damage.
Lutein is an antioxidant shown to be very effective in helping maintain eye health with issues like computer-related vision problems (1) which affect 1 in 7 people (2) and age-related macular degeneration (3) which is the leading cause of irreversible cause of blindness in the world (4).
Now a new study (5) has suggested two possible mechanisms as to why lutein benefits eye health. In the study, 17 mice were split into three different groups:
– Group 1: 5 mice given standard diet with no light exposure = control group
– Group 2: 6 mice given standard diet exposed to 5000 lux of a white fluorescence lamp for 3 hours
– Group 3: 6 lutein diet mice exposed to same light as Group 2, but with 0.1% luten in their diet (supplied 170mg lutein per kg body weight)
At the end of 3 hours, the researchers obtained eye tissue samples from each group to look at levels of a protein called gamma-H2AX, which is a biomarker associated with cancer development and tumor progression (6). They also looked at a level of a protein that indicates DNA repair in cells after light exposure called EYA3, with higher levels indicating higher degrees of DNA.
The researchers found gamma-H2AX levels in the lutein group to be 29% lower compared to the placebo group (83 vs. 117 gamma-H2AX positive cells per cross-section) while the light-negative group registered a negligible amount (2 positive cells per cross-section). When looking at EYA3, the lutein group had EYA3 activity that was 33% higher in the lutein group compared to the placebo group (133 vs. 98 EYA3 positive cells per cross section). There was no EYA3 in the control group since there was no light exposure.
For the researchers, “Lutein functioned in the [nerve protection] of [light-sensitive] cells from light-induced DNA damage.” Although this is a very small study, it should lead the way to larger studies to confirm these results.
Source: Sasaki, Mariko, Kenya Yuki, Toshihide Kurihara, Seiji Miyake, Kosuke Noda, Saori Kobayashi, Susumu Ishida, Kazuo Tsubota, and Yoko Ozawa. “Biological role of lutein in the light-induced retinal degeneration.” The Journal of nutritional biochemistry 23, no. 5 (2012): 423-429.
References:
- Ma L. A 12-week lutein supplementation improves visual function in Chinese people with long-term computer display light exposure. British Journal of Nutrition 2009. doi:10.1017/S0007114508163000, Published online February 19, 2009.
- “The Effects of Computer Use On Eye Health and Vision” posted from the American Optometric Association website.
- Johnson EJ. The influence of supplemental lutein and docosahexaenoic acid on serum, lipoproteins, and macular pigmentation. Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, May 2008; 87: 1521 – 1529.
- 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.
- Sasaki M. Biological role of lutein in the light-induced retinal degeneration. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 2011. Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2011.01.006.
- Dickey JS, Redon CE, Nakamura AJ, Baird BJ, Sedelnikova OA, Bonner WM. H2AX: functional roles and potential applications. Chromosoma 2009;118:683–92.
