[PHNUTR-L] Nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin associated with reduced risk for age-related eye disease

[Kathrynne Holden]

Colleagues, the following is FYI and does not necessarily reflect my own
opinion. I have no further knowledge of the topic. If you do not wish to
receive these posts, set your email filter to filter out any messages
coming from   @nutritionucanlivewith.com    and the program will remove
anything coming from me.
---------------------------------------------------------
Public release date: 10-Sep-2007
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-09/jaaj-nla090607.php

Contact: Traci E. Clemons, Ph.D.
301-251-1161 x212
JAMA and Archives Journals

Nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin associated with reduced risk for 
age-related eye disease

Consuming higher levels of the yellow plant pigments lutein and 
zeaxanthin may be associated with a lower risk for age-related macular 
degeneration, according to a report in the September issue of Archives 
of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) occurs when the macula, the area 
at the back of the retina that produces the sharpest vision, 
deteriorates over time. It is a leading cause of irreversible blindness 
among elderly people of European descent, according to background 
information in the article.

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group assessed 4,519 
individuals who were age 60 to 80 when they enrolled in 1992 through 
1998. At that time, photographs were taken of their retinas to determine 
if they had AMD, and if so, to which of four stages the condition had 
progressed. The participants also completed a food frequency 
questionnaire that measured how often they consumed foods rich in 
certain vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. These included lutein, 
zeaxanthin, beta-carotene, lycopene and vitamins C and E.

The participants were divided into five groups based on the amount of 
each nutrient they consumed. Those who had the highest levels of lutein 
and zeaxanthin were significantly less likely than those in the group 
with the lowest levels to have advanced AMD. They were also less likely 
to have large or numerous intermediate drusen, yellow or white deposits 
on the retina or optic nerve head that are a sign of AMD. No 
associations were seen with any of the other nutrients.

Lutein and zeaxanthin, also called carotenoids and found in yellow and 
dark leafy vegetables, may affect processes through which light and 
oxygen damage the eyes, the authors note. “Lutein and zeaxanthin have 
the capacity to filter short-wavelength light associated both with 
photochemical damage and the generation of reactive oxygen species that 
attack cellular lipids, proteins and nuclear material; these carotenoids 
also have the capacity to reduce the potency of nascent reactive oxygen 
species,” which damage cells, they write.

“If these cross-sectional results can be confirmed in prospective 
samples and experimental studies, lutein and zeaxanthin may be 
considered as useful agents in food or supplement-based interventions 
designed to reduce the risk of AMD,” the authors conclude.

(Arch Ophthalmol. 2007;125(9):1225-1232. Available pre-embargo to the 
media at www.jamamedia.org.)

Editor’s Note: This study was supported by contracts from the National 
Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and 
Human Services, Bethesda, Md., with additional support from Bausch and 
Lomb, Rochester, N.Y. Please see the article for additional information, 
including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, 
financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

###

For more information, contact JAMA/Archives Media Relations at 
312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations at jama-archives.org.
-- 
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar at nutritionucanlivewith.com >
"Ask the Parkinson Dietitian"  http://www.parkinson.org/
"Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease"
"Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy"
http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/