Product Research: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released the results of a ten year ground breaking study called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) which recommends antioxidants and zinc as a treatment for macular degeneration.
According to Paul A. Seiving, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), "This is an exciting discovery because, for people at high risk for developing advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), these nutrients are the first effective treatment to slow the progression of this disease. The study concluded: High levels of antioxidants and zinc significantly reduce the risk of advanced AMD and its associated vision loss.
Since the AREDS study, which was initiated over ten years ago, there have been numerous studies associating lutein and zeaxanthin with macular degenerative disease. Lutein and zeaxanthin were not available when the AREDS study was originally implemented; therefore they were not included in that study.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are naturally occurring carotenoids found in fruits and especially dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale. They are the primary components of the pigment in the macular area of the retina and are essential for proper functioning of vision. It has been demonstrated that macular pigment levels can be increased through dietary supplements and that lutein levels are reduced in patients with AMD. Researchers believe decreased lutein concentr-tion in the macular area is a risk factor for developing macular degeneration.
Lutein appears to be fundamentally involved in macular degenerative disease. Studies range from 6mg per day for prevention and maintenance to 20mg per day for therapeutic use. Nutritional studies show the average person only consumes about 1mg of lutein per day. Since the human body cannot manufacture lutein, the accumulation in the eyes is dependent on dietary intake. The easiest way to increase dietary intake of lutein is through a daily supplement.
