Lutein belongs to the carotenoid family of antioxidants. It is found mostly in dark green leafy vegetables including spinach, broccoli, kale and cabbage. So the advice of our grandmothers to eat these pungent vegetables was worth heeding! And it is also found in red peppers, tomatoes, red, blue and purple fruits and egg yolks!
What are some of the major benefits of lutein?
1. It plays a major role in eye health.
Our current understanding is that lutein provides a filter that absorbs harmful UVB light and dangerous free radicals, preventing them from reaching the retina where they can cause great damage.
Eating diets rich in lutein-containing foods (or taking supplements) results in improved color vision, sharper vision as well as being less susceptible to glare in normal-sighted people. (Save Your Sight by Drs Michael R and Marc R Rose).
Of particular interest, though, is that it can help to prevent serious eye disease and loss of sight in at-risk groups, for example, people from families with a strong history of macular degeneration as well as other vision loss problems including cataracts.
Dr. Mark Grossman of the Integral Health Center in Rye and New Paltz, New York, advises that everyone over the age of 50 should be taking supplements with lutein. And even people who are already suffering from macular degeneration or other vision problems can benefit since lutein has been shown to increase the density of the macular pigment. This would at least prevent further deterioration, and the reversal of the condition is not impossible.
One further point: it is often better to take a supplement that contains a wide variety of carotenoids rather than a single component. This is because the compounds often act synergistically, meaning that the combined effect of all is greater than the effect of just one component. As an example, the carotenoid, zeaxanthin, is very important for eye protection together with lutein.
2. It supports a healthy immune system.
This has far-reaching benefits including a protective effect against certain cancers.
Lutein protects cells against free radicals. It also improves cell-to-cell communication which is important in maintaining healthy tissue. One of the distinguishing features of tumours is that the cell-to-cell communication is no longer functioning properly. Over 250 published scientific papers attest to lutein?s protective role, even although the exact mechanisms by which it achieves this are not clear. Cancers that have been studied include colon, lung and breast cancers.
3. It protects against cardiovascular disease.
Studies have shown that people who eat diets rich in antioxidants, and therefore have higher levels of lutein in the blood than those who do not, do not suffer from thickening of the walls of the arteries. This is most likely due to the fact that LDL (low density lipoprotein), or ?bad cholesterol? is not oxidized and so it is unable to deposit in the vessel walls as plaque.
The protective effect from lutein has even been shown in smokers who are notoriously at risk of developing heart disease.
The case for a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables grows stronger with each passing day as research uncovers the myriad benefits to be had from the nutrients that they supply!
Andre? van der Hoven has the following advantages when writing about health and nutrition issues: she has a keen interest in the subject, she has a strong educational background in support of this (M.Sc. in Biochemistry and Ph.D. in Immunology) and she has an interesting personal story of recovery from cancer to tell. She hopes you find something of interest in her articles. To explore further please visit her at http://www.nutrition-health-link.com
Source: http://toddsblogs.com/healthandfitness/2012/09/14/more-about-antioxidants-lutein/
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