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Best Eye Vitamins & Foods to Increase Eye Performance.... Lutein and Zeaxanthin... and MZ

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Best Eye Vitamins & Foods to Increase Eye Performance.... Lutein and Zeaxanthin... and MZ

Michael Ng

Lemon Kale Salad Recipe: Mix 1 bowl of chopped raw kale, add pine nuts (alternatively pistachios/dried berries), sliced Parmesan cheese, and squeezed fresh lemon juice (or drizzle balsamic vinegar) on top.

Lemon Kale Salad Recipe: Mix 1 bowl of chopped raw kale, add pine nuts (alternatively pistachios/dried berries), sliced Parmesan cheese, and squeezed fresh lemon juice (or drizzle balsamic vinegar) on top.

The first step to nutritional wellness begins with knowing what to eat. This article is to simply breakdown and gather what we know is good for eye health. 

Aging is simply oxidative-stress build up over time. We can fight oxidative stress by understanding how certain foods can eliminate them through antioxidant properties. The macula is important part of our sight responsible for our central vision, but it also has yellow protective macular pigments (MP) called carotenoids. Carotenoids have antioxidant properties by filtering short-wavelength blue-light by reducing the formation of free radicals. The 3 types of carotenoids are Lutein (L), Meso-zeaxanthin (MZ), and Zeaxanthin (Z) (ratio: 10:10:2).  The highest source of lutein is typically extracted from the marigold petals, while the highest source of zeaxanthin is extracted from red peppers, corn and egg yolks. Most recently, MZ has been demonstrated to be found in marine species, such as skin of trout, sardine and salmon. 

Photo: Marigold Petals. Lutein is extracted from marigold petals through HPLC processing.

Photo: Marigold Petals. Lutein is extracted from marigold petals through HPLC processing.

Food & Visual Performance

The chart below shows the highest concentration of macular pigment in foods with Kale, Spinach and Swiss Chard ranking the highest. Knowing which foods contain these essential carotenoids can help us create meals that include these items in our diet. It is important to note while diet is the mainstay, supplementation has recently been shown to be beneficial to even normal adults to improve contrast sensitivity and visual performance at work.

 

Lutein & Zeaxanthin Chart (based on current USDA data)

Based on 1 cup of cooked vegetables. Graph created by Dr. Ng from most recent USDA data.

Based on 1 cup of cooked vegetables. Graph created by Dr. Ng from most recent USDA data.

Contrast sensitivity is most crucial for daily activities where there is low light, rain, fog, or glare. This is especially important for those who do a lot of night driving, athletes who require fine detail orientation, and elderly individuals who have a higher risk of falling due to poor contrast sensitivity. Low contrast sensitivity is often a symptom of cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. It can also affect individuals who have undergone refractive correction like LASIK or PRK. These people often report 20/20 vision but poor night vision. 

While most of us may have trouble reaching or maintaining a well-balanced diet of MP, modern day agricultural methods have been traced to a reduction of nutritional value. Quantity vs Quality: Kale 40 years ago is often many times more nutritious than Kale found today in supermarkets. Modern day farming has limit the gene pool and favored larger more profitable crops over more nutritious varieties. It is important to understand where our food comes from and how it is grown. Therefore, it may be worthwhile to also consider supplementation in addition to our routine diet of greens, fish, and eggs for not only prevention but for visual performance.

AMD

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease affecting the macula resulting in central vision loss, which is important for everyday functional activities like driving, reading and watching TV. Daily supplementation in early AMD with all 3 carotenoids has shown to be most effective in reduction in AMD progression. The daily amounts of intake between the cartenoids require further studies, which is currently undergoing. 

Potential Biomarker for Dementia?

In addition, new studies with macular pigment may lead to greater understanding of detection of Alzhemier's and other dementia affecting the elderly.  Patients with Alzhemier's experience a cognitive decline, tend to have poorer vision and tend to have lower levels of macular pigment.  The intriguing question of whether MP can prevent or push back the onset is in question. Others are looking at whether Alzhemier's and Glaucoma are related conditions since both are neurodegenerative, chronic, and progressive diseases. There are studies looking at the intriguing possibility of whether normal-tension glaucoma increases the risk of developing dementia. There is a lot of excitement in this field of determining a biomarker for early detection such as MP levels, lens changes, and measuring optic nerve fibers. 

Click to shop

Click to shop

 

List of Supplements on the Market
(Product Links to Amazon)

Source: MacuHealth

Source: MacuHealth

MacuHealthIngredients.jfif

With LMZ (non-Plant-based - Beef gelatin capsule):

With LMZ (Plant-based):

  • Vision Essence Early Defense & Zinc-free (LMZ ratio 10:10:2) - Made in Canada

  • Sports Research L+Z Vegan - Soft gels (LMZ ratio: 10mg free L : 4mg MZ +Z) - Made in USA

With L & Z (Plant-based):

With L & Z & daily vitamins (Plant-based):

With L & Z + Omega 3 (Plant-based):

 

STUDIES

  • The CREST AMD study (2017) showed that early AMD patients in 35% of trial participants had clinically meaningful improvement in contrast sensitivity and visual function following supplementation of MP in 10:10:2 ratio vs just L & Z over 2 years.

  • The CREST study (2016) showed that even healthy subjects with no retinal disease can enhance their contrast sensitivity and meaningful visual performance following supplementation of MP in 10:10:2 ratio over 1 year.

  • The MOST study (2015) was to demonstrate the safety profile of taking high concentrations of MZ in addition to L and Z in healthy and early AMD patients, the MP response and serum carotenoid response over a 3 year period.

  • The AREDS 2 Study (2013) showed that in early AMD: daily supplementation of 10mg of lutein and 2mg of zeaxanthin (and no beta-carotene and no omega-3) showed a 10-25% risk reduction of AMD progression over 5 years.

  • The original AREDS Study (2001) showed that in early and moderate AMD: daily supplementation of beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and copper showed a 25% risk reduction of AMD progression over 5 years.