What does lutein do for the body?
Lutein is a carotenoid with reported anti-inflammatory properties. A large body of evidence shows that lutein has several beneficial effects, especially on eye health. In particular, lutein is known to improve or even prevent age-related macular disease which is the leading cause of blindness and vision impairment.
Is lutein good for the brain?
Conclusions. To date, epidemiological evidence suggests that dietary lutein may be beneficial for visual and cognitive health across the lifespan. This may be due to its role as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Among the carotenoids, lutein preferentially accumulates into the infant and adult brain.
What is the recommended daily intake of lutein?
There currently is no Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) or Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for lutein or zeaxanthin, but some experts say you should ingest at least 6 milligrams (mg) of lutein per day for beneficial effects.
Does lutein improve vision?
This part of your eye is essential for your vision. Due to its powerful antioxidant properties, lutein may help reduce inflammation in your eyes, fight off free radicals, reduce oxidative stress, and boost the sharpness of your vision.
Can you take lutein everyday?
It’s estimated that Americans consume an average 1–3 mg of lutein and zeaxanthin daily. However, you may need a lot more than this to reduce your risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) ( 13 ). In fact, 6–20 mg of dietary lutein per day are associated with a reduced risk of eye conditions ( 13 , 30 ).
Does lutein increase blood pressure?
Discussion: In healthy participants, oral administration of a lutein phytochemicals complex for three weeks produced increased ocular blood flow biomarkers within retinal vascular beds and reduced diastolic blood pressure compared to placebo.
What are the benefits of lutein in the body?
Aside from protecting eyes, lutein uses also include helping prevent skin disorders, several types of cancer including colon or breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and risk factors associated with coronary heart disease. What is lutein good for? Here are some of the top benefits of antioxidants like this one:
How does lutein help to prevent macular degeneration?
Let us discuss them in detail bel0w. Most people immediately connect lutein to vision health, along with zeaxanthin. The highest concentration of this antioxidant is found in the retina, and it is well known that it can help to prevent macular degeneration, which is one of the major causes of blindness as we age.
Is it safe to take lutein multivitamin by mouth?
Many people think of lutein as “the eye vitamin.” It is commonly taken by mouth to prevent eye diseases such as an eye disease that leads to vision loss in older adults (age-related macular degeneration or AMD), and cataracts. There is no good scientific evidence to support the use of lutein for other conditions. Many multivitamins contain lutein.
How does the body synthesize lutein and zeaxanthin?
The human body cannot synthesize lutein or zeaxanthin on its own, which means we must obtain these important nutrients from our diets (or, in some cases, supplements). You already know that filling up on plenty of fruits and veggies is good for you, and here’s just another example of why that is.