Patients With AMD Can Restore Lutein Levels with Supplements
Des
Moines IA, 19 November 2002
New
university research shows that low ocular levels of antioxidants
lutein and zeaxanthin -- carotenoids found in dark green, leafy
vegetables such as spinach and kale -- could contribute to age-related
macular degeneration (AMD). The research also shows that AMD patients
who had begun taking high-dose lutein supplements (4 milligrams
or more per day) regularly after their initial diagnosis of AMD
were able return those levels back to normal.
The
research, led by Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD, at the Department of
Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Moran Eye Center, University
of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, was published in the
October 2002 issue of Ophthalmology (volume 109, pages 1780-1787),
the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology
(AAO). Bernstein is a Research to Prevent Blindness Sybil B. Harrington
Scholar in macular degeneration research. The National Eye Institute,
Spectrotek LC, and Kemin Foods(R) L.C. also support Bernstein's
research.
"This
research is a major step toward large-scale clinical studies to
prove the extent to which lutein and zeaxanthin protect against
age-related macular degeneration," Bernstein said. "We know that
these carotenoids are specifically concentrated in the macula of
the human eye."(1,2)
This
research compares the macular pigment levels of healthy eyes with
those eyes of people with AMD. For the first time, researchers were
able to objectively measure lutein and zeaxanthin levels in the
eyes of living people in a large-scale clinical study. Bernstein
measured macular carotenoid levels in 93 eyes from 63 patients with
AMD and in 220 normal eyes from 138 volunteers using resonance Raman
spectroscopy.
The
researchers found that macular carotenoid levels decline with age,
reaching a stable low level after age 60, the age when AMD incidence
begins to rise dramatically. They also found that macular pigment
levels in the eyes of AMD patients not consuming high-dose lutein
supplements were 32 percent lower than elderly normal eyes.
"These
results taken together lead us to believe that low macular levels
of lutein and zeaxanthin represent a pathogenic risk factor for
the development of AMD,"(1-6) Bernstein said. "As a safeguard, patients
at risk for visual loss from AMD should consider supplementing their
diets with at least 4 mg of lutein each day along with other antioxidant
nutrients."
For
more information about the value of lutein, consult the Lutein Information
Bureau website at www.luteininfo.com.
About
Kemin Foods
Kemin
Foods, LC, is a global manufacturer and marketer of natural ingredients
for the food, dietary supplement and personal care markets. Headquartered
in Des Moines, Iowa, the company is part of Kemin Industries, which
has manufacturing facilities in Iowa, Texas, Belgium, India, Singapore
and Thailand. Kemin Foods is the maker of FloraGLO® brand lutein.
References
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RA, Landrum JT, Fernandez L, Tarsis SL. Analysis of the macular
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JT, Bone RA. Lutein, zeaxanthin, and the macular pigment. Archives
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Bernstein
PS, Katz NB. The role of ocular free radicals in age-related
macular degeneration. In: Fuchs J, Packer L, eds, Environmental
Stressors in Health and Disease, New York: Marcel Decker, 2001:423-56.
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S, Koh HH, Henson D, Boulton M. The role of oxidative stress
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Beatty
S, Murray IJ, Henson DB, et al. Macular pigment and risk for
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Source
Kemin
Foods, LC, via PR Newswire.
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