Lutein, Zinc and Zeaxanthin slashes the risk of going blind from the most common cause

Age related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in Americans over the age of 55. In this new investigation researchers from the University of Sydney and the University of Newcastle both in Australia crunched the data on 2454 participants who had signed up at the start of the Blue Mountain Eye Study reexamining them 5 and/or 10 years later. The scientists found that those with the highest intake of Lutein and Zeaxanthin had a 65% reduced risk of developing the most severe and advanced form of ARMD; the sight robbing neovascular or wet form. Zinc at high intake reduced the risk of all forms of ARMD and by a grand 44% (considering it is all forms this is indeed grand) even decreasing the earliest stage of ARMD by 46%. The study was published in the February 2008 issue of the journal Ophthalmology.

Dietary consumption of Zeaxanthin declines with age increasing the risk of blindness

Scientists from the Macular Pigment Research Group at the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland examined the diets of 828 healthy Irish subjects aged between 20 and 60 and found that the intake of Zeaxanthin in food decreased with age, and age is the most important risk factor for ARMD (age related macular degeneration) The lead researcher states that since Zeaxanthin is needed to decrease risk of ARMD and intake declines with age “In other words, perhaps people should take Zeaxanthin supplements as they get older”. This study is published in the March 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.