Carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin have long been known to support healthy vision. Occurring naturally in fresh fruits and vegetables, they exist in the eye as pigments in the macula and retina, protecting the eye from free radical damage. In addition to maintaining clear, healthy vision, new research suggests that the two compounds play a significant role in preventing cataracts.
After testing nearly 1,700 subjects, researchers from the University of Eastern Finland and Lapland Central Hospital found that lutein and zeaxanthin were associated with more than a 40% reduction in cataract risk. In the study, 1,689 people between age 61 and 80 were tested for eye health and level of lutein and zeaxanthin. 113 cases of age-related cataracts were found, 108 of which were nuclear cataracts. When compared to the subjects’ levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, the highest levels represented a reduction of cataract risk by 42% and 41%, respectively.
Zeaxanthin was originally thought to be more important than lutein for lens health; however, the researchers found that the two compounds provide very similar levels of protection. “The ratio of zeaxanthin to lutein is much higher in the lens than in the plasma, suggesting that the lens of the eye mainly accumulates zeaxanthin,” they explained. “But both lutein and zeaxanthin protect liposomal membranes from light-induced oxidative stress.”
Protecting the body from aging is an ongoing process, and the impact that aging can have on eye health is easy to overlook. Fortunately, compounds like lutein and zeaxanthin make maintaining normal vision easy, in both the present and future.
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