Zeaxanthin For Macular Degeneration Prevention and Treatment in Dry AMD
Filed Under Anti Aging Supplement, Anti Aging Vitamin, Antioxidant, Enteric Coating, Eyesight, Lutein, Main Content, Total Balance Supplements, Zeaxanthin | Leave a Comment
Most ophthalmologists recommend the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin for macular degeneration that is age related, commonly referred to as AMD. It is unusual for doctor’s to recommend nutritional supplements of any kind, unless a person has an outright deficiency, but AMD is a unique condition.
There are no effective treatments for one type of AMD (dry), but there are some partially effective treatments for wet AMD. Together, these two are the major causes of blindness in the elderly. The wet form is the most severe, if not treated early.
In wet AMD, blood vessels grow up and behind the retina, an area responsible for gathering light and transmitting signals to the brain, resulting in sight. The blood vessels often rupture and leak blood and protein below the macula, a very sensitive area within the retina.
Eventually, bleeding, leaking and scarring causes irreversible damage to the light receptors (rods and cones). Rapid vision loss is experienced if it is left untreated. Laser treatment and drugs that inhibit blood vessel growth are usually recommended.
Generally, doctors recommend lutein and zeaxanthin for macular degeneration that is of the dry type. Dry AMD is much more common than wet. It is caused by a build up of yellow deposits called drusen on the retina.
In nature lutein and zeaxanthin are pigments or colors. They are normally present in the retina, with zeaxanthin being concentrated in the macula and lutein more highly concentrated in the periphery of the retina. There roles within the eye are not well understood, but they seem to help reduce or prevent the build up of drusen.
Drusen is similar in composition to the deposits that are found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and the plaque that is present in atherosclerosis. People with either of those two conditions have a higher risk of developing dry AMD.
Some doctors recommend taking lutein and zeaxanthin for macular degeneration prevention, particularly to their patients that have a family history of the disease. But, since the drusen are similar to the deposits that cause Alzheimer’s and heart disease, other antioxidants may be beneficial, as well.
Curcumin, an antioxidant present in the spice turmeric, is currently being studied for its benefit in Alzheimer’s disease. Not only does it prevent the accumulation of the plaque, it breaks it up. It might be able to break up the drusen in AMD, too.
One study indicates that the ideal combination of nutrients is omega 3 fatty acids, beta carotene, vitamin E, lutein and zeaxanthin for macular degeneration. Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly DHA, are the most abundant fatty acids present in the retina. Beta-carotene is converted by the body to vitamin A, which is essential for good vision. Vitamin E is well-known for its antioxidant activity.
Prevention is worth a pound of cure, they say. In order to prevent AMD, people should lower their total fat intake, and increase their nutrient intake. This may help reduce the risk of many other diseases, as well. Taking zeaxanthin for macular degeneration prevention is a good idea. Taking a multi-nutritional supplement that contains it, is a great one.
Valerie Rosenbaum has made it her mission to provide the public with information supporting the use of natural and clinically tested ingredients in their anti aging supplements. The best nutritional supplements will include a full complement of over 70 bio-active ingredients to create a healthy balance of nutrients and antioxidants within the body.
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5 Simple Foods That Contain Lutein to Preserve & Enhance Eyesight
Filed Under Anti Aging Supplement, Anti Aging Vitamin, Antioxidant, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Enteric Coating, Eyesight, Herbal Supplements, Lutein, Main Content, Natural Supplements, Nutritional Supplements, Total Balance Supplements, Zeaxanthin | Leave a Comment
If you’re wondering how much lutein is in food, this article will give you the information that you’re looking for. Including the antioxidant in your daily diet is a good idea, especially to reduce your risk of age related eye diseases, such as macular degeneration. There may be other benefits, as well. So, here are the foods that are good sources, along with how much you would need to eat every day.
Recommendations for daily intake vary. No minimum daily requirements have been established. You will not see the nutrient listed on food packaging. But, judging from the scientific studies, 10-50mg per day is necessary to protect the long-term health of the eyes.
That’s not to say that people who don’t get that much have poor eyesight. No studies concerning that have been done. The studies that have been done focused primarily on macular degeneration and at least 10mg has been necessary to slow down the progression of the disease.
When we are talking about how much lutein is in food, we are talking about the average or approximate amount. The nutrient content of vegetables varies greatly. Organic vegetables appear to be the most nutrient rich, but soil and weather conditions have a lot to do with it, too. So, these values are approximate.
Let’s look at what you would need to eat to get approximately 20mg per day, because that’s a little more than the minimum and could make up for variations in nutritional content. In order to get 20, you could eat:
- 91 grams or 3.25 ounces of kale
- 123 grams or 5 ounces of collard greens
- 181 grams or 6.5 ounces of Swiss chard
- 158 grams or 7 ounces of cooked spinach
- 202 grams or 8 ounces of mustard greens
If you were wondering how much lutein is in food, those are the best sources. If none of those happen to be on your daily diet, a dietary supplement is an option. Actually, even if you do eat one or more of those foods every day, supplementation is still a good option.
Lutein is not the only nutrient that is necessary for good vision and continued health of the eyes. Zeaxanthin, a primary component of the macula, is also important. The amount of zeaxanthin in foods is even lower.
You see, lutein is in food, but not in large quantities, that makes it a micronutrient. At one time, scientists did not believe that micronutrients were important to human health. Only the basic vitamins and minerals were considered essential, because without them, deficiency disease would occur.
Today, more and more healthcare professionals are coming to the realization that those basic nutrients are not the only important elements of the human diet. In order to wipe out deficiency diseases, fortified foods were developed. Vitamins were added to flour, milk and other common foods, to increase their nutritive value.
That meant that people could basically exist on white bread and milk, but they didn’t get any of the micronutrients present in “real” foods. Your daily multi-vitamin probably contains about 30 different ingredients, but there are over 50 different micronutrients that they do not contain.
Now that you know a little more about how much lutein is in food, you might want to take the time to learn about what a complete nutritional supplement can do for you.
Valerie Rosenbaum has made it her mission to provide the public with information supporting the use of natural and clinically tested ingredients in their anti aging supplements. The best nutritional supplements will include a full complement of over 70 bio-active ingredients to create a healthy balance of nutrients and antioxidants within the body. If you want to look and feel younger then visit NaturalBalanceSupplements.com to learn more.
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Preserve Vision Through Nutritional Supplements Containing Lutein
Filed Under Anti Aging Vitamin, Antioxidant, Enteric Coating, Eyesight, Lutein, Main Content, Natural Supplements, Nutritional Supplements, Total Balance Supplements, Zeaxanthin | Leave a Comment
Can you preserve your vision with lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene, lycopene and other carotenoids? Researchers have looked at that question on several different occasions. They have not always come up with the same answers, but it could be because of the quality of the supplements that they chose to use in the studies. Many of us are of the opinion that “natural” would be the best choice.
As yet, there have been no studies comparing the efficacy of a synthetic versus a natural. It might even come as a surprise to you that artificial vitamins exist. Ten years ago, I was unaware that the ingredients used to fortify inexpensive foods like white bread were synthetic. I would have never imagined that the base compound used to create these synthetic vitamins was petroleum. They belong to a large group of synthetic chemicals called petrochemicals.
Now that I know the truth, I am very careful about anything that I put into my body. I do hope to protect my vision with lutein and other nutrients, but I only buy the highest quality supplements that contain all natural ingredients.
There are a growing number of health experts in the mainstream medical community who believe that many of the problems that commonly accompany old age are due not to the natural aging process, but to exposure to petrochemicals and other toxins in the environment. The body has natural processes to rid itself of these toxins, but when a person is exposed to thousands of different ones on a daily basis and is even eating them, there is no way for the body to cleanse itself.
The main reason that we may be able to preserve our vision with lutein is due to a age-related eye disease called macular degeneration. There are many risk factors for the disease, including family history, but there are dietary risk factors, as well. High intake of dietary fat and being overweight or obese are among them.
If you or someone you love has a weight problem, here’s are a few suggestions. Start eating more natural, non-processed foods. Skip the artificial preservatives and the fortified breakfast cereals. Stop drinking sodas, especially diet sodas. Drink water, coffee, green tea, juices and herbal teas, instead. Take a good multi-nutritional supplement every day.
If you want to protect your vision with lutein, the better anti aging nutritional supplements contain it. They also contain a variety of plant extracts and nutrients that are beneficial for people that are overweight or obese. If you don’t think that an overweight person could have a nutritional deficiency, think again.
Doctors are finding that most of their overweight patients have a vitamin D deficiency. That’s a very simple vitamin, but difficult to get through diet, alone. Milk is fortified with it, but, it’s not fortified with the natural form of the vitamin.
Other nutrients are even more difficult to get in the diet, because they are present in such low quantities. For example, for people that want to protect their vision with lutein, 10-50mg per day is recommended, there are no foods that provide that much in a single serving. So, take a supplement, just be sure the ingredients are all natural.
Valerie Rosenbaum has made it her mission to provide the public with information supporting the use of natural and clinically tested ingredients in their anti aging supplements. The best nutritional supplements will include a full complement of over 70 bio-active ingredients to create a healthy balance of nutrients and antioxidants within the body. If you want to look and feel younger then visit http://www.NaturalBalanceSupplements.com to learn more.
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What is the Right Dosage of Lutein For Children and Adults?
Filed Under Anti Aging Supplement, Anti Aging Vitamin, Antioxidant, Blood Pressure, Enteric Coating, Eyesight, Heart Disease, Lutein, Main Content, Natural Supplements, Total Balance Supplements, Zeaxanthin | Leave a Comment
What is an appropriate lutein dosage? Is it possible to get too much? We’ve only known about the benefits of lutein and some of the other carotenoids for a few years. So, information is not always easy to come by. Here you can learn a little more about the carotenoids and how much you should be getting every day.
Carotenoids are responsible for many of the colors that you see in vegetables. They are divided into to two groups; carotenes and xanthophylls. The carotenes include alpha and beta-carotene and lycopene. The xanthophylls include lutein and zeaxanthin. All of these act as antioxidants in the human body.
Other antioxidants include vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, catechins, curcumin, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, l-carnosine and l-glutathione. L-glutathione is probably the most potent antioxidant, but it is rarely found in nutritional supplements, because only the reduced form can pass through the intestinal wall and into the blood stream.
A supplement containing it would need to include an enteric coating. Otherwise, it would be broken down to its three component amino acids, which would not have the desired effect. Some other antioxidants, such as curcumin are quickly degraded by stomach acid, too. Very little ends up in the bloodstream, if they are not protected by an enteric coating.
If an enteric coating is included on the supplement, an appropriate lutein dosage would be 50mg. No minimum daily requirement has yet to be established for the nutrient. No upper limit has been established. If it is like the related beta-carotene, there is no upper limit for intake, because the body uses what it needs to form vitamin A and the rest is simply discarded.
At very high dosages, any of the carotenoids will cause a bronzing of the skin. This may be undesirable or desirable, depending on the person.
For children 5 and up, an appropriate lutein dosage is 10mg. It’s interesting that some of the anti aging supplements that are purported to help the elderly retain their vision contain only 10mg. Some of them don’t contain zeaxanthin or other carotenoids, which are all important to the health of the eyes.
Finding a good supplement is always difficult. 85% of the supplements on the market contain synthetic beta-carotene. It may comes as a surprise to you that our vitamin supplements, which are supposed to be good for our health are synthesized from petro-chemicals. It’s no wonder that the benefits are questionable.
A good supplement will contain an appropriate lutein dosage and 100% all natural ingredients, no chemical additives, no artificial preservatives colors or flavors. There are a growing number of healthcare professionals who believe that cancer and a variety of other illnesses are due primarily to our exposure to artificial additives and toxins in the environment.
It takes years of research to get regulating agencies to see what scientists have seen in the laboratory. Right now, it’s up to the consumer to try to find the most natural products on the market. A good lutein dosage is good for your health, but not if the other ingredients are synthetic. Shop with care and be healthy.
Valerie Rosenbaum has spent years researching the claims of anti aging supplements and skin care products to find out which ingredients and products are most effective at slowing or even reversing the aging process. If you are interested in restoring your youthful vigor and appearance then visit her website http://www.NaturalBalanceSupplements.com to learn more.
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