Lutein- The Sight Saver.

Watching your children play, enjoying the colors of a sunset, choosing a new red outfit, staring into your lovers eyes….all amazing gifts of sight that many of us take for granted each day.

The Sad News
Every 11 minutes, a person goes blind in the US. As we age our eyesight deteriorates. Unlike skin or other tissues, the optic nerve will not regenerate. Normal wear and tear in addition to any extreme conditions will progressively result in functional loss of vision. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness among the older population in the US, causing three thousand cases of complete blindness annually and affecting the vision of 13 million people.

The Glad News
Researchers have made the connection between lutein levels in the eye and age related eye diseases. They have shown that increasing consumption of lutein-rich foods increases carotenoid levels in the eyes, thereby helping to protect them from disease. Lutein naturally occurs in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Lutein is a yellowish pigment giving corn, egg yokes, various fruits, vegetables and flowers their yellow color. This yellow color is covered by the strong green color of chlorophyll in dark green vegetables. There is no established therapeutic dose of Lutein, but research points to 6 mg per day, which is a difficult amount to get each day through food alone, although a large serving of cooked spinach a day comes close, for anyone other than Popeye, a supplement may be in order. Research has also shown that supplementation of pure carotenoids, of which lutein is one, is much more bioavailable (easy for your body to assimilate) than from foods. (Khachil et al., 1995)

Why lutein?
The body is unable to manufacture lutein therefore relying on consumption for its supply. Lutein is also found in the skin, cervix, brain and breast. But it is most concentrated in the eye, specifically in the small area called the macula in the retina of our eyes. This has led researchers to consider that lutein may protect our eyes and optic nerves, like it does for plant tissues, from the harmful affects of UV light. Research has gone on to support the theory that the presence of lutein, or lack there of, is connected to the development of age related eye disease such as age related macular degeneration (ARMD) and cataracts. A landmark Dutch study of men showed that taking 10mgs of lutein daily for three months increased thickness in the macula by 22%, presumably reducing its vulnerability to damage. Researchers at Harvard found eating 6 mgs of lutein a day lowered the odds of developing macular degeneration by 43%.
Lutein also provides other health benefits. New scientific evidence shows that lutein may reduce a person's risk of developing skin cancer, heart disease and breast cancer.

Save your sight- supplement your diet with lutein.
How much? The suggested daily intake is at least 6 mgs. The average American consumes about 1 mg of lutein per day through food. Currently there is no official Daily Reference Intake (DRI) and there are no known toxicity or overdose concerns regarding lutein consumption.
When? Because the human body does not produce lutein one must continue to consume it in order to maintain optimal levels in the macula. Because lutein is fat soluble the best time to take a lutein supplement is with a meal allowing for maximum absorption.
Just another magic pill? According to an independent survey of ophthalmologists and optometrists, 84% of eye doctors currently recommend lutein to their patients, and nearly all eye doctors (91%) believe the lutein plays an important role in promoting eye health. (Jefferson Davis Associates, 2001)

Findings continually support the importance of carotenoids and the role they play in battling some of the most dangerous threats to human health. Lutein deservingly has come to the forefront of clinical studies that are focusing on specific nutrients and their ability to give protection against cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration and other diseases. As research continues, more discoveries will support the role of lutein and its properties as an anti-aging nutrient.