Lutein and Longevity

Lutein Impacts Aging Via

• Inflammaging

Lutein is a carotenoid pigment compound found in plants that produce bright yellow, red, and orange colors. Lutein is found in various fruits and vegetables, for example, kale, bell peppers, and spinach. It is known for its antioxidant properties and is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. Lutein is best known for its beneficial impact on maintaining eye health and has been sought after as a health supplement, with scientific studies supporting its health claims.

The role of Lutein in aging and longevity

Multiple studies have shown that intake of green leafy vegetables with high lutein content can confer health benefits and promote healthy aging. (Li et al., 2021) A team of researchers conducted a meta-analysis of clinical trials and found that lutein supplementation helped to support healthy aging in older adults by improving the levels of a type of cholesterol known as High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood. (Ghasemi et al., 2023)

Impact of lutein on eye health

The natural process of aging can affect our vision and eye health, leading to common age-related eye issues such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.

Lutein is shown to promote eye health as you age by enhancing the concentration of xanthophyll carotenoid pigments at the center of your retina, known as the macula. These compounds are key components of pigments in your eyes that help to protect your retina from oxidative stress and the filtering of blue light. (Li et al., 2023) A meta-analysis of findings from clinical trials found that supplementation of lutein, in combination with zeaxanthin, of about 10 mg per day helps to maintain eye health by increasing macular pigment optical density (MPOD). (Feng et al., 2019)

These findings were consistent with more recent studies in 2021, where researchers conducted a meta-analysis and found that lutein supplementation with zeaxanthin for over 3 to 12 months is associated with better eye health and increased MPOD. (Wilson et al., 2021)

Lutein is shown to display protective effects toward eye health by enhancing defenses against oxidative stress and its ability to scavenge free radicals. It helps to support eye health by delaying aging of the eye by binding to specific proteins like, StARD3, which is responsible for accumulating lutein in the retina of the eye to support good eye health. (Mrowicka et al., 2022)

Impact of Lutein on brain health

Lutein is also beneficial in promoting brain health in older adults, as evidenced by the consolidated data from clinical trials and epidemiological studies. The studies indicated that 10 mg of lutein supplementation taken daily over 12 months helped to delay brain aging by boosting cognitive functions in older adults, such as, learning and memory. (Yagi et al., 2021)

These data were consistent with a meta-analysis that analyzed the effect of lutein on cognitive function. Using data from clinical trials, the researcher found that daily supplementation of lutein in older adults over four to six months had a beneficial impact on cognitive performance, such as, memory and executive function, and promoting brain health. (Li and Abdel-Aal, 2021)

Lutein and Zeaxanthin

Zeaxanthin, also contained in NOVOS Vital, is another carotenoid that is found in the human macula that could have a protective effect on the retina and visual function. Studies have evaluated supplementation of both lutein and zeaxanthin and found that when taken together they help to maintain eye health in adults. (Wilson et al., 2021)

Clinical trials have also demonstrated the positive effects of supplementing with a combination of lutein and zeaxanthin on brain health. In a systematic review of eight clinical trials, supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin over 4 to 12 months helped to improve cognitive performance in adults. The studies also found that higher amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin in the blood can help to delay brain aging. (Wang et al., 2022)

A similar result was also found in another clinical trial that examined the effect of lutein and zeaxanthin dietary intake on the cognitive decline in older adults. The researchers analyzed historical data and found that increasing the intake of lutein and zeaxanthin in the diet helped to enhance cognitive performance among older adults. (Christensen et al., 2020)

NOVOS VITAL & Lutein

References

Feng, L., Nie, K., Jiang, H., & Fan, W. (2019). Effects of lutein supplementation in age-related macular degeneration. PloS one, 14(12), e0227048. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227048

Ghasemi, F., Navab, F., Rouhani, M. H., Amini, P., & Shokri-Mashhadi, N. (2023). The effect of lutein and Zeaxanthine on dyslipidemia: A meta-analysis study. Prostaglandins & other lipid mediators, 164, 106691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2022.106691

Li, J., & Abdel-Aal, E. M. (2021). Dietary Lutein and Cognitive Function in Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(19), 5794. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26195794

Li, N., Wu, X., Zhuang, W., Xia, L., Chen, Y., Wang, Y., Wu, C., Rao, Z., Du, L., Zhao, R., Yi, M., Wan, Q., & Zhou, Y. (2021). Green leafy vegetable and lutein intake and multiple health outcomes. Food chemistry, 360, 130145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130145

Li, X., Holt, R. R., Keen, C. L., Morse, L. S., Zivkovic, A. M., Yiu, G., & Hackman, R. M. (2023). Potential roles of dietary zeaxanthin and lutein in macular health and function. Nutrition reviews, 81(6), 670–683. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuac076

Mrowicka, M., Mrowicki, J., Kucharska, E., & Majsterek, I. (2022). Lutein and Zeaxanthin and Their Roles in Age-Related Macular Degeneration-Neurodegenerative Disease. Nutrients, 14(4), 827. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14040827

Wang, H., Wang, G., Billings, R., Li, D., Haase, S. R., Wheeler, P. F., Vance, D. E., & Li, W. (2022). Can Diet Supplements of Macular Pigment of Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Meso-zeaxanthin Affect Cognition?. Journal of Alzheimer’s disease : JAD, 87(3), 1079–1087. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35431251/

Wilson, L. M., Tharmarajah, S., Jia, Y., Semba, R. D., Schaumberg, D. A., & Robinson, K. A. (2021). The Effect of Lutein/Zeaxanthin Intake on Human Macular Pigment Optical Density: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 12(6), 2244–2254. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmab071

Yagi, A., Nouchi, R., Butler, L., & Kawashima, R. (2021). Lutein Has a Positive Impact on Brain Health in Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials and Cohort Studies. Nutrients, 13(6), 1746. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13061746