Lutein Supplements - Protection for Your Sight and Your Cells

Lutein Supplements - The Eyes (ayes) Have It

Research into lutein supplements has shown that not only can the benefits of lutein protect against diseases of your eyes, but has been shown to help prevent diseases of the circulatory system, cut your risk of cancer, and slow the aging process.

Folks sometimes ask whether supplemental lutein should be taken. Well, there certainly has been some compelling research that points in that direction.

What are the Benefits of Lutein, Where is It Found, and What Are Lutein Supplements Made From?

Lutein is an antioxidant and carotenoid found in green vegetables such as brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach and lettuce, Lutein is also found in egg yolks and marigolds.

Now I know that we don't ordinarily eat marigolds. But as a side note, research was done to measure the lutein in the yolks of chicken eggs after they were fed marigold petals. The amount of lutein in the yolks of the marigold fed chickens were 6 times what they would have been feeding chickens a standard diet.

As a matter of fact, lutein supplements are made from an extract of marigold flowers.

What's This I Hear About Lutein Supplements and My Eye Health?

The benefits of lutein are probably best known for the ability to retard the progression of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). A study appearing in the journal 'Review of Optometry' tells us that there is strong laboratory evidence pointing to the benefits of lutein supplements in reducing the risk of ARMD. ARMD is the leading cause of blindness in folks over 65.

Estimates are that over 13 million folks in the U.S. are suffering from symptoms of ARMD and close to 1.2 million are experiencing impaired vision because of the disease.

Lutein is the primary pigment in the macula. The macula is that part of the eye that is responsible for central vision. The benefits of lutein function as an antioxidant in the macula, protecting the cells of the macula from oxidative stress. For more on oxidative stress, visit our Vitamin E page.

Studies have shown that taking lutein supplements increases the amount of lutein in the macula. A study appearing in the Journal of Ophthalmology showed that the benefits of lutein supplements help to protect your eyes from ARMD and cataracts as well.

Can Lutein Supplements Help Protect Against Heart Disease?

A report appearing in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association seems to think so.

The study included 480 women and men between 40 and 60 years of age. It found that those folks who consumed the highest levels of lutein experienced the lowest incidence of thickening of the carotid arteries. These are the blood vessels that supply your brain.

Also, studies done at the University of California at Los Angeles found that mice given lutein supplements, had a 43% reduction of cholesterol deposits in their arteries.

Will Lutein Supplements Help Protect Me from the Sun's UVB Rays?

Studies performed at the Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston University Medical School suggests that benefits of lutein may have the potential to protect our skin from some of the sun's damaging effects.

Salvador Gonzalez, M.D., PhD who was leading the research team had this to say: "Lutein has been widely recognized for its eye health benefits for several years. But, our data is the first of its kind to suggest that lutein may have the potential to act as a preventative agent against UVB-induced skin cancer."

How about Lutein Supplements and Colon Cancer?

In a study recently appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the antioxidant lutein was found to have reduced colon cancer risk by 17%. Barbara Levine, R.D, co-director of the Human Clinical Nutrition Program at The Rockefeller University had this to say:

"It makes sense that the same properties that allow lutein to reduce oxidation of the lens and retina would neutralize cancer-causing free radicals. I believe we may find that we have only scratched the surface of lutein's potential."

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