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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Zeaxanthin Tablets Or a Comprehensive Anti Aging Supplement?
Filed Under Anti Aging Supplement, Anti Aging Vitamin, Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Enteric Coating, Heart Disease, Herbal Supplements, Lutein, Main Content, Natural Supplements, Nutritional Supplements, Resveratrol Supplements, Total Balance Supplements, Zeaxanthin | Leave a Comment
Before you buy zeaxanthin tablets, take a few moments to read this article. It could be “eye-opening”.
Zeaxanthin is a carotenoid, like beta-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein. Curcuminoids, found in the spice turmeric and other plants, are similar to carotenoids. These compounds are responsible for the vivid colors of plants. They perform many roles in the human body and are one of the reasons that fruits and vegetables are so important to human health.
First of all, they act as antioxidants. Vitamin C and E are more common antioxidants. Most of the vitamin supplements on the market contain them, because they are cheap and easily synthesized. It is unknown if the synthetic forms of those vitamins are beneficial to human health. Naturalists do not think so.
Antioxidants are important to human health, because they prevent free radicals from damaging the cells of the body. They prevent oxidation of fat on the walls of the arteries, reducing the risk of heart disease. They are important to the eyes and the skin, because they provide protection from the damaging effects of UV light.
Usually, zeaxanthin tablets are promoted for protecting the health of the eye, reducing the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and possibly cataracts. But, a recent study in Japan indicates that it is overall antioxidant status that provides protection from AMD.
They measured circulating blood levels of total and individual antioxidants in people that had and did not have the disease. They conclude that as far as single antioxidants go, only low levels of vitamin E and cryptoxanthin were related to AMD. But, they noted that high levels of all of the carotenoids were negatively associated with the disease. In other words, high intake of carotenoids of all kinds reduces your risk of AMD far more than single-ingredient zeaxanthin tablets.
Carotenoids also reduce your risk of age-related hearing loss, cancer and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a term used to describe people that have high blood glucose levels, high HDL cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and central obesity. These risk factors contribute to a variety of life-threatening illnesses, including type II diabetes and heart disease.
You have to eat a whole lot of fruits and vegetables every day to increase circulating levels of carotenoids and other antioxidants. There is reason for the five a day recommendation, but to get the right combination of fruits and vegetables every day is difficult, if not impossible.
Taking zeaxanthin tablets is one thing that you can do to increase your antioxidant status. But, a better choice is a supplement that contains a variety of antioxidants, including the carotenoids and the related curcuminoids.
If the studies that have been conducted are correct, curcumin (the primary curcuminoid found in turmeric) reduces the risk of a number of age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s, because it breaks up plaque. This means that it may also be beneficial for AMD and heart disease.
If you still want to buy zeaxanthin tablets, then go ahead. It’s certainly not “bad” for you. It’s just that you could be doing more for your health, with a multi-nutritional supplement.
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.
Stop Degeneration of Eyesight With Complete Anti Aging Supplements That Include Zeaxanthin & Lutein
Filed Under Anti Aging Supplement, Anti Aging Vitamin, Antioxidant, Cancer, Enteric Coating, Herbal Supplements, Lutein, Natural Supplements, Nutritional Supplements, Total Balance Supplements, Zeaxanthin | Leave a Comment
Researchers often look at the benefits of zeaxanthin, lutein and other carotenoids at the same time, rather than individually. This family of pigments is responsible for all of the colors that we see in plants, as well as the colors we see in egg yolks, bird feathers, animals and in people’s eyes. Plants produce these pigments. People and other life forms must get them through their diet.
When it comes to zeaxanthin benefits to human health, researchers have primarily looked at age-related eye diseases, although new studies indicate that the benefits of zeaxanthin, lutein and other carotenoids include a reduced risk of various types of cancer and the “metabolic syndrome”.
Metabolic syndrome is a term that doctors and researchers use to describe a group of health problems that are often seen accompanying each other. They include obesity, insulin resistance or high blood sugar, gout, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. If the syndrome is not reversed, it leads to type II diabetes.
Many health problems are associated with type II diabetes, including heart disease and kidney failure. So, you may say that zeaxanthin benefits or may help to prevent a host of illnesses. An eye disease that is the most common cause of blindness among the elderly (age-related macular degeneration or AMD) is just the best known.
The zeaxanthin benefits to the rest of the body are likely due to its antioxidant activity. But, in the eye, it and lutein serve to absorb blue light. They are the primary pigments that are found in the retina, one of the areas of the eye that are essential for vision.
Researchers began to look at the benefits of zeaxanthin and lutein for AMD when it was noted that low blood concentration of the carotenoids was associated with the disease. In other words, people that have AMD often have low blood levels of zeaxanthin, lutein and other carotenoids. Researchers believe that supplementation or increased intake of foods containing the carotenoids reduces the risk of AMD. Basically, what they are telling us is to eat our vegetables.
You can get the zeaxanthin benefits by eating kale, turnip greens, collard greens, romaine (but not ice-burg) lettuce, and broccoli, zucchini, garden peas, Swiss chard, spinach or Brussels sprouts. If you are like many Americans, you don’t see anything on this list that you eat every day. So, the only way for you to get the benefits of zeaxanthin is by taking a supplement.
Even if you do eat a lot of vegetables, there is no way to determine exactly how much of a specific nutrient you are getting when you eat them. Nutrient content varies from plant to plant. There is no doubt that fruits and vegetables are good for your health and you should strive to get 7-9 servings per day.
But, in order to get zeaxanthin benefits, researchers suggest an intake of 10mg per day. A cup of raw spinach contains only 331mcg of the nutrient. Can anyone eat 20 cups of spinach per day? Obviously, the only way to be sure to get the benefits of zeaxanthin is by taking a supplement.
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.
Benefits of Taking Lutein in Supplements - Clinical Studies
Filed Under Anti Aging Supplement, Anti Aging Vitamin, Cancer, Enteric Coating, Herbal Supplements, Lutein, Natural Supplements, Nutritional Supplements, Total Balance Supplements | Leave a Comment
There are thousands of published research papers concerning the benefits of taking lutein. Most of the benefits of lutein are associated with eye health. In particular, the antioxidant is believed to reduce the risk of age-related eye diseases and the risk of blindness that can be caused by them. But, that’s not the only thing that researchers have looked at.
This may be a new term for you; “diet-related cancer”. Are scientists saying that food causes cancer? Not really, but they are saying that certain dietary habits are associated with an increased risk of the disease. The latest study indicates that there are benefits of taking lutein, vitamin E, vitamin C, folate, beta-carotene and zeaxanthin for reducing your risk of cancer, especially, if you happen to be Mexican American.
Observational studies have shown that there is a higher incidence of cancer among Mexican Americans that adopt the typical American diet than among those that stick with the more traditional Mexican diet. Researchers took blood samples from 2400 Mexican American men over a period of six years. They found the levels of the nutrients mentioned above were much lower in those men that had adopted American eating habits.
Another recent study showed that the benefits of lutein include a decreased risk of invasive breast cancer among women of all nationalities. Samples were taken from thousands of women in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. They were asked about their diets and their smoking habits. The results are similar to those found in other studies. Low intake of beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer.
Another study supports others in saying that the benefits of taking lutein include the prevention of age-related macular degeneration. Macular degeneration can be caused by other things. But, when it occurs late in life, it is, for all intents and purposes, a nutritional disease. The carotenoids lycopene, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene are also beneficial for preventing this eye disease that often results in blindness.
Some people feel that the benefits of lutein and other carotenoids can be gotten through diet, alone. But, recent research conducted first in Canada and then in the US has shown that fruits and vegetables are not as nutrient-rich as they were only 50 years ago. Did you realize that the data for nutrient content that you see published on the internet and printed on the labels of processed foods are based on measurements taken years ago?
It is safe to say that you should probably eat more fruits and vegetables, for many reasons, but if you want the full benefits of lutein, you need a standardized supplement. The better companies test each raw ingredient and batch for nutritional value, rather than taking an average that was measured some 50 years prior. They also test each completed batch for purity.
Green Tea in Complete Balanced Nutritional Supplements is a Good Place to Start
Filed Under Anti Aging Supplement, Antioxidant, Catechin Supplements, Enteric Coating, Green Tea Extract, Herbal Supplements, Natural Supplements, Nutritional Supplements, Total Balance Supplements | Leave a Comment
The way some reporters make it sound, green tea and health are synonymous. Some self-proclaimed experts make it sound like a magic weight loss pill. One of them claims that coffee-drinkers can lose 10 pounds in six weeks by switching to green tea. Another group says that five cups per day will help your burn 70-80 extra calories per day. That would work out to about a pound in six weeks.
There is some truth to the claims made by supplement manufacturers and tea distributors. But, the truth about weight loss is this. There are hundreds of different diet pills and weight loss drugs on the market, but none of them work on their own.
If you are overweight, it probably has very little to do with how much you are eating, but with “what” you are eating. If you’re like most people, you are eating foods that are high in calories and low in nutritive value. If you suffer from cravings and tend to overeat, there are nutrients missing from your diet. You can benefit from a well designed multi-nutritional supplement.
Of course, the research concerning green tea and health has not focused solely on weight loss. Like most of today’s research, the primary focus has been cancer. The catechins in the camellia sinensis plant, from which the tea leaves are taken, have been shown to have a variety of anti-cancer activities. One of them is very interesting and completely contradicts what the media and the so-called experts have said.
There is an enzyme that researchers refer to as fatty acid synthase-N or FASN. FASN is suspected of being an “oncogene”, a gene that when mutated or present at high levels turns a normal cell into a cancer cell. Inhibiting FASN has been investigated as a component of chemotherapy, but the inhibitors have caused weight loss and anorexia, an undesirable side effect for the cancer patient.
In one study concerning green tea and health, researchers found that catechins inhibit FASN in animals, without inducing weight loss. Catechins have been shown to lower cholesterol levels, reduce the waist size of people with type II diabetes, improve the secretion of insulin and inhibit the formation of blood clots. They have anti-inflammatory activity and in animals have been shown to prevent rheumatoid arthritis.
There is plenty of evidence from studies concerning green tea and health to make the following statement. It reduces your risk of prostate or breast cancer. There is not enough evidence to say much else about it “conclusively”. Even in the area of cancer prevention, the evidence is only “strong”, not conclusive.
It is safe to say that it is a good ingredient for a supplement to contain. But, there are other extracts that have much stronger evidence concerning the benefit of supplementation. Try to find a supplement that contains olive leaf, curcumin, grape seed, black cumin, bilberry, milk thistle, pine bark, ginger, gingko biloba and myrrh.
We may learn more about green tea and health, as time goes by, but one thing will not change. It’s only one important antioxidant. There are many others.
