The best answer to the question “Will lutein improve vision if one adds it to their daily nutrition?” is “Yes” if you are a sufferer of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Non-sufferers will also benefit in the form of vision protection.

Lutein is an eye pigment, found in the macula area of the retina. It helps protect against high energy light and the results of oxidative processes that go on there. One must always include the companion pigment zeaxanthin, which is found in the more peripheral area of the retina. The two are often described as macular pigment.

As we grow older – some think from about 50 – the concentrations of both macular pigments change. This is related to the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which results in a gradual loss of central vision.

There is some evidence that low levels of macular pigment increase the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration. There are also results of studies that show that supplementation with the macular pigments helps protect against AMD.

In the Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial (LAST), the authors concluded that supplementation improved eye function. This improvement was in the form of visual function, glare recovery, and contrast sensitivity.

So the answer to the question “will lutein improve vision” is yes for sufferers of AMD. Those who are not yet affected are still also advised to take it as it will protect against or delay the onset of age-related macular degeneration.

One obvious source is the diet and foods like eggs, Brussels sprouts, peas, turnip greens, romaine lettuce, kale, collard greens, broccoli, zucchini and broccoli are good sources.

The intake from food is not always measurable, one does not always feel like having so many veggies and the accompanying fat or oil that is needed to ensure absorption may not be a part of the meal.

A nutritional supplement is a good source which gets round the dietary challenges. This is highly recommended provided it comes as part of a multi-ingredient nutraceutical rather than a single substance formulation.

Vision support requires a multiplicity of nutrients and includes zeaxanthin, bilberry and vitamins. The amount of lutein provided must also be sufficient to meet the recommended minimum daily requirement of between 6 and 30mg.

I am aware from personal usage of a product that contains at least 90 ingredients to cover the needs of not only vision, but also the effects of aging in general. The ingredients include lutein, zeaxanthin, bilberry, multi-vitamins, resveratrol, ginko biloba and many others.

If you would like to know more especially about the multi-ingredient supplements that can help you safeguard or improve your vision and support you against the general effects of aging, then please visit my website today.

Roger Franklin is a writer, researcher and passionate user of natural health products at GoodHealthToGo. Please visit http://www.goodhealthtogo.com for more info and to learn about the products that we use that contain lutein.

Carotenoids are a family of pigments found throughout the plant and animal world. Lutein supplements provide only one of them. Others that we should be interested in are zeaxanthin, Astaxanthin, lycopene, beta-carotene and alpha-carotene. All of these pigments have antioxidant activity in the human body. Most of them are found in the pigments of the retina. It’s just that lutein and zeaxanthin are the most highly concentrated in the retina.

Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A. Without vitamin A, we suffer from night blindness and if the deficiency is severe, we can become totally blind.

Why would someone recommend a single-ingredient lutein supplement? If it was your doctor, he or she is probably unaware of the latest studies. If it was on television or in another advertisement, then of course, the promoters are trying to sell a lutein supplement.

There were several earlier studies indicating that lutein, alone, or in combination with zeaxanthin reduced the risk of blindness in patients that suffered from age-related macular degeneration. One study was conducted by an ophthalmologist, who advised her patients to eat a serving of spinach or kale every day. That was probably effective, because the vegetables provide a wider mix of carotenoids.

Large scale studies have not supported the benefit of zeaxanthin and lutein supplements. The latest study was a comparison of blood levels of various antioxidants in people that did and did not have age-related macular degeneration. That’s where they found that total blood levels of carotenoids had a protective effect against the disease, because people with high levels did not have it. But, there’s another important consideration.

A lutein supplement or any other kind of vitamin may be synthetic. You might want to read that again. It is shocking to most people to think that their vitamins are basically plastic. How could they possibly be of benefit to the human body? It just doesn’t make sense.

Many commercial lutein supplements, especially the cheaper ones, are synthetic. Most of the beta-carotene on the market is, too. When it comes to Astaxanthin, a less common antioxidant that has been used to “treat” age-related macular degeneration, nearly all commercial Astaxanthin is produced synthetically from petrochemical sources. That’s according to ALGA technologies, one of the few wholesalers of natural Astaxanthin.

There is much concern about introducing synthetic chemicals into our body on a daily basis, especially where it concerns a lutein supplement or other nutrient. People take multi-vitamins and similar products because they have been told that they are good for their health. But, the source of petrochemicals is petroleum or crude oil. It just doesn’t seem logical to put that into your body.

So, spread the word about lutein supplements and tell all of your friends to buy natural. It just makes sense.br
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Valerie Rosenbaum has spent several years researching a href=http://www.naturalbalancesupplements.com rel=nofollowanti aging vitamin/a supplements and natural skincare products. As a result of that effort she has found what she believes to be the best a href=http://www.naturalbalancesupplements.com rel=nofollowanti aging supplement/a available on the market today. Learn what she uses and recommends at a href=http://www.naturalbalancesupplements.com rel=nofollowNaturalBalanceSupplements.com/abr
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Have you ever wondered where the brick red color of paprika comes from? It comes from zeaxanthin, one of the most common carotenoids found in nature. Carotenoids are biological molecules with strong colors, and the word carotenoid itself comes from carrot.

In humans, zeaxanthin is found in the retina of the eye, specifically within the central part of the retina known as the macula. The peripheral part of the retina contains a different carotenoid known as lutein. Zeaxanthin and lutein together are known as macular pigment (MP).

It is a common observation that as we age, our sight gets weaker. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible blindness in people over 50 years of age in the developed world and has been estimated as affecting 1.2 million Americans over 65.

There is scientific evidence (based on epidemiology) suggesting that low concentrations of zeaxantin and lutein in the blood plasma are associated with an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). There is also other evidence (again based on epidemiology) suggesting that increasing the intake of these nutrients lowers the risk of developing eye cataracts.

In work published in 2007, John Paul SanGiovanni and his colleagues at the National Eye Institute Maryland, reported the results of a 7 year study where it was found that higher dietary intake of lutein/zeaxanthin was associated with decreased likelihood of developing age-related macular degeneration.

Overall the results of all these studies show that the macular pigment molecules are extremely important to eye health.

Foods that are rich as dietary sources of these nutrients include kale, turnip greens, collard greens, romain lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, corn, garden peas, swiss chard and Brussel sprouts. While getting one’s macular pigment from dietary sources should be encouraged, for more predictable results, one must also acquire the nutrient via nutritional supplements. The main benefits of getting one’s needs via nutritional supplements are that:

One knows the quantity that one is taking and this reduces the risk of incorrect dosage.
Only high quality raw materials are used in the preparations.
The supplement will come as part of a combination with other nutrients ensuring that the intended effect of each component is optimized.
Enteric coating is a technique used to protect supplements from the actions of stomach acids and hence ensure that it is presented at the right point in the digestive pathway.
The composition of the supplement ingredients are prepared to suit individual needs according to sex and age.

Roger Franklin is a researcher and writer at Good Health To Go. Please visit http://www.goodhealthtogo.com for more info and to learn about the product that we take that contains zeaxanthin.