Lutein nutrition details are simple. Lutein is a fat soluble, which means it is dissolved in things like oils, pigment that comes from yellow and orange fruits and dark leafy greens, such as spinach. This is also one of the two pigments found in the retina, the other being zeaxanthin (which is why Lutein zeaxanthin is talked about a lot).
This pigment is in the carotenoid family which is also home to beta-carotene. Lutein is excellent for your eyes and is a key component in most vision related vitamins or Lutein vitamins. There have been studies done to see Luteins affects on both cataracts and macular degeneration that showed a lot of promise from lutein as supplement.
While the patients were taking lutein during the studies, there was some evidence that the progression of both macular degeneration and cataracts were slowed. The veterans in the study showed a marked improvement in their eye site while on lutein.
Lutein also has other prospects in helping lower cholesterol and helping one avoid thickening of arteries. When the arteries begin to thicken they can cause all sorts of problems that can lead to cardiovascular disease.
Ultraviolet rays can damage the skin and eyes, but lutein may have effort in countering this. Lutein has a lot of helpful properties partially because it is an antioxidant. Antioxidants fight the free radicals that are produced in our bodies by a number of different processes.
Free radicals are molecules in our body that are useful in small quantities, but when they become numerous, they can start causing problems. The reason being is that free radicals are highly reactive and carry out reactions with the closest molecule available. Well, if that happens to be a part of your DNA, it can trigger cancer to start growing.
Antioxidants keep free radicals from reacting through inhibiting oxidative reactions. This is the specific type of reaction that free radicals do. What happens is the free radicals steal a portion of the adjacent molecule to become stable. When that happens, the molecule that the free radical stole from becomes a free radical itself. It’s a cycle that could turn deadly…but that’s where Lutein jumps in.
Free radicals have also been named in speeding the ageing process, so antioxidants could slow ageing. With all the useful properties of lutein, it has much promise in its future for a number of problems faced by millions of people.