Supplements Increase Lutein Blood Levels in the Elderly
By Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, December 6, 2006, abstracted from “The Effect of Lutein and Zeaxanthin Supplementation on Metabolites of These Carotenoids in the Serum of Persons Aged 60 or Older�?in the December 2006 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science
Cartenoids are a class of antioxidants that produce the red, orange, yellow and green colors of vegetables and fruits.1 They include lutein , lycopene ,(2) beta-carotene ,(3) and zeaxanthin ,(4) all of which have been found to have a number of health benefits.
Lutein’s role in health started to gain attention in 1994 when a study by the National Eye Institute(5) found that consumption of foods rich in carotenoids, particularly green, leafy vegetables was associated with a reduced risk of developing Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), currently the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world.(6) Subsequent research in mice using a 20% solution(7) and 7.6 grams of lutein per day(8) both found that lutein improves eye health.
With research mounting on the effectiveness of lutein for eye health, ways to increase blood levels of lutein are becoming important. Food sources of lutein include primarily dark green leafy vegetables and other colorful fruits and vegetables (but to a lesser extent) such as broccoli, orange peppers, corn, peas, persimmons and tangerines.(9)
A new study(10) has found that lutein supplementation may be an easy way to increase blood levels of lutein and help maintain eye health .
In the study, 45 patients with or without AMD were given 2.5, 5, and 10 mg per day of lutein (with 5% zeaxanthin) for 6 months and followed for another 6 months after supplementation stopped. They found that after six months of supplementation with 10 mg per day of lutein, blood levels increased nearly 500% (from 210 to 1,000 nanomoles per liter) for lutein and 59% for zeaxanthin (from 56 to 95 nM/L). What’s more, there were no reported side effects or apparent toxicity, and blood levels of both lutein and zeaxanthin declined in the six months after supplementation ended.
For the researchers, “Elderly human subjects with and without AMD can safely take supplements of lutein up to 10 mg per day for 6 months with no apparent toxicity or side effects.�?/FONT>
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at mailto:ChiroDocPSUalum at msn.com or visiting his web site www .CompleteChiropracticHealthcare.com
Reference:
1 “Lutein�?posted on the PDR Health website
2 Limpens J. Combined Lycopene and Vitamin E Treatment Suppresses the Growth of PC-346C Human Prostate Cancer Cells in Nude Mice J. Nutr. 2006 136: 1287-1293
3 Furtado J. Some dietary and adipose tissue carotenoids are associated with the risk of nonfatal acute myocardial infarction in Costa Rica. J Nutr. 2005 Jul;135(7) :1763-9
4 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 2006
5 Seddon, Johanna M., MD, et al, "Dietary Carotenoids, Vitamins A, C, and E, and Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration," JAMA, Vol. 272, No. 18, November 1994, pgs. 1413-1420
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 Choi JS. Inhibition of nNOS and COX-2 expression by lutein in acute retinal ischemia. Nutrition 2006, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 2 May 2006
8 Wang M. Antioxidant activity, mutagenicity/anti-mutagenicity, and clastogenicity/anti-clastogenicity of lutein from marigold flowers. Food Chem Toxicol 2006; 44(9): 1522-1529
9 “Lutein and Zeaxanthin: Eye-Friendly Antioxidants�?posted on www.aoa.org/documents/LuteinZeax_public.pdf
10 Thompson DJS. The Effect of Lutein and Zeaxanthin Supplementation on Metabolites of These Carotenoids in the Serum of Persons Aged 60 or Older. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2006 47: 5234-5242
This article appears in: Herbal Remedies January 2007
Natural Health Newsletter Issue 267
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