Lutein and zeaxanthin

Carotenoids

The only two carotenoids that the eye accumulates, at the center of the retina.

Dark greens are full of them: the yellow pigment is simply masked by chlorophyll.

Effects and benefits

The only two carotenoids the eye seeks out and concentrates at the center of the retina, to the point of painting a yellow spot visible at the back of the eye. This pigment filters blue light; the more dark green you eat, the denser it gets, and in trials, contrast vision improves.

The macula, at the center of the retina, is the area of fine vision: the one that reads, recognizes a face, threads a needle. Lutein and zeaxanthin are so concentrated there that they color it, hence its other name, the yellow spot. They absorb blue light before it reaches the cells of vision and neutralize the free radicals that light creates there.

This pigment can be measured, and it responds to the plate: in controlled trials, a year of higher intakes made it denser and improved contrast vision and recovery after glare (Hammond et al., 2014).

In the large AREDS2 trial, in people who already had AMD, lutein and zeaxanthin replaced beta-carotene in the supplement that slows progression to the advanced form of the disease: just as effective, without beta-carotene's risk for smokers (AREDS2, 2013).

By age: AMD is the leading cause of low vision after fifty in wealthy countries. Egg yolk and corn provide them too, and a little fat in the dish gets far more into the blood.

Sources: Hammond et al., IOVS, 2014 · AREDS2 Research Group, JAMA, 2013 · National Institutes of Health

Lutein and zeaxanthin

Effects and benefits

Where to find it (386)

Also, in smaller amounts (99)