Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Age-Related Macular Degeneration

[MineralMan]

In recent years, the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin have become better known than in times past. There is some evidence that suggests that the lack of adequate amounts of these two nutrients may play a role in age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness in the elderly. Studies are still ongoing to determine the exact role these nutrients have in preventing that disease, which is one of most common reasons for vision deterioration as we age.

Since both are natural parts of most people's diets, and are found in everything from egg yolks, corn, and many other vegetables, people who eat a balanced, healthy diet probably get all they need of these minor nutrients. However, not everyone eats a well-balanced diet that supplies adequate amounts. So, increasingly, ophthalmologists and other physicians are suggesting supplementing dietary intake of these nutrients to some of their patients, particularly those who show signs of early macular degeneration. To that end, the two nutrients have been added to many multi-vitamin supplements, and are available in other forms as well on the market, both at local drugstores and at vendors of nutrient supplements.

Studies are still going on, and optimal levels have not been set for these nutrients, but many physicians and ophthalmologists do make specific recommendations, often suggesting a product from Bausch and Lomb, a major manufacturer of optical products, including contact lenses. Similar amounts are available in a wide variety of supplement products, so consumers have a wide range of choices, if such supplementation is recommended by medical professionals.

To learn more about these two nutrients, you can visit the Wikipedia pages below, which also contain many links to additional sources. If you think such supplements could benefit you or they are recommended by a health care professional for you, the available products that contain them are many, and are available everywhere, including your local supermarket. In the articles, you'll also find which normal foods you may include in your diet are rich in these nutrients. The more you know, the less likely you are to be ripped off by marketing claims for expensive supplements that are identical with less expensive options. Get the facts from objective sources, then make your own choices, based on information rather than marketing claims.

Lutein - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutein
Zeaxanthin - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeaxanthin
Macular Degeneration - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macular_degeneration

[CountAllVotes]

1. Age-Related Macular Degeneration

I've seen the worst of this.

My husband has this and is blind in one eye. He was holding on good until he got hit with the shingles which attacked his one good eye. Now he is getting injections into it every 6-8 weeks for the REST OF HIS LIFE he was told. :( *ugh ugh ugh!!!*

As for the vitamin thing, he's been taking the above ones you name for several years. I don't know if they've done any good or not.

He has nine siblings and three of them (so far) have developed macular degeneration as well. One of them is legally blind and the other is getting the shots in the eyeball now as well. :(

This really sucks but at least they have a treatment for it now which has helped tremendously.

:dem:

[MineralMan]

2. Yeah. My late father-in-law had it and couldn't see worth a damn.

My wife's ophthalmologist suggested that she started taking those supplements, just in case.

[Codeine]

3. Shots in the EYEBALL?!

Oh my goodness. That's just about as awful as anything I can imagine.

[CountAllVotes]

4. yep

Another one scheduled for tomorrow.

If it weren't for these injections, he'd be legally blind by now.

Next step if not for me = nursing home ...

Totally sucks.

[grasswire]

6. my auntie had one of those shots just yesterday

She says she only feels a prick. Then she has tears for a few hours afterwards.

[CountAllVotes]

10. tomorrow will be the 18th injection

I dread taking him really. One time I couldn't get him to the appt. as I'd been in the hospital. You'd think I was asking for God to act upon me when I asked for help to get him to/from the appt.

However, on a positive note, the injections are much quicker now as they are refining this technique.

The aim is to get this down to ONE injection yearly. That would be a miracle! :D

:dem:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. There is an eye institute in Florida.... they have interesting information, and I hope they

aren't selling anything that would completely negate any and all research that has already been proven true. As we age, especially those of us who have lived with digestive issues, our ability to absorb can become impaired. (bioperine) Some supplemental approaches may reach into many grams/day of key naturally occurring substances. This could be equivalent to eating 10 to 20 pounds of spinach/day. I simply am not going to do that.... hence the concentrated, tweaked, substances with enhanced bioavailability. There isn't a doctor alive who can get a person to eat 20 pounds of spinach a day.

http://www.langeeyecare.com/lutein_eye_health_main.htm
Can You Treat AMD?

The Multicenter Opthalmic and Nutritional Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study reported several important positive conclusions and encouraged doctors to suggest use of dietary supplements for their patients. "AMD is the leading cause of legal blindness in people over the age of 50, and the prevalence of AMD is expected to increase as the population ages. Although the incidence of AMD increases sharply with age, recent studies of AMD that prevention measures and dietary changes can not only reduce the risk of developing AMD but also retard further deterioration in affected individuals." The study further stated: "Long before the patient has become aware of the disease, the macula has begun to deteriorate. Therefore, just as with cardiac disease, there is a large unmet need for a preventive medicine approach, in conjunction with early detection." study further concluded: "In conclusion, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) has been viewed as a hopeless disease. Yet the patients in this study has advanced atrophic AMD, with decreased acuity, which responded with stabilization to an antioxidant nutrient supplement formulation. This study is consistent with the hypothesis that AMD is a nutrition responsive disease."

Dr. Max Snodderly of Schepens Eye Institute at Harvard University concluded that lutein blocks harmful ultraviolet light by absorbing the blue light and inhibiting photo-oxidation. Lutein also functions as a powerful antioxidant preventing destructive oxidation reactions by a mechanism known as free radical quenching. Researchers from Florida International University found increased serum levels and increased macular pigment density in subjects taking supplements with lutein. MG Maguire published a paper in Ophthalmology concluding that high levels of certain antioxidants and lutein in particular are protective against the neovascular or wet form of AMD. Dr. Gislin Dagnelie of John Hopkins University School of Medicine published a study examining the effects of lutein supplementation on visual acuity, central visual field area, and subjective visual disturbances in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and related retinal degenerations. A 26 week study of lutein supplementation with a loading dose of 40mg/day for 9 weeks and 20 mg/day thereafter found: "Vision improvement after lutein supplementation - previously reported in age-related macular degeneration - also occurs in RP, especially in blue-eyed individuals."

[flamingdem]

11. Please post any further info on this, thanks! nt

[HysteryDiagnosis]

12. I am a self educated person in these affairs. This all started over 15 years ago when a friend

took me into a "health food store" for the first time. I was looking at a calcium supplement for my mother who would have been pushing 70 at the time. I bumped into a woman in that area and asked her why she (possibly 25 years of age) would be looking at a calcium supplement as such a young age. Her response?? Oh, this is for my daughter... dayam I said, YOUR DAUGHTER?? She responded with "Yes, her doctor (possibly one trained in the ways of Bastyr University though this is only a guess) had managed to get her grades from D's to A's and B's.

I am assuming there was a diagnosis of ADHD at this point but I didn't pry. From there one and with my father being chemoed and radiated to death (Not the physicians' fault) I decided that I had better learn and learn fast. So I did. I have read many many books on this topic of preventive nutrition and I am so glad that I did, I feel empowered to make intelligent decisions regarding my "healthspan".

Anyway, the point I have been trying to get across, the thing I have most fervently tried to transfer on this board is that after 15 years of knowing this stuff, for example the crazy application of lutein, zeanthinin, DHA, Pycnogenol and others at doses that cannot be achieved through the diet since no one can eat the quantities of foods that contain these miraculous molecules that would be required to provide many many GRAMS of them per day.... hence, dietary supplements exist that can do the trick. This is not to say that there aren't risks associated with wanton hogging of all sorts of products that "claim" to do XYZ. In all things there are risks.

Your kidneys and liver can only do so much, and they need to be respected.. however, I am not reading (as of yet) anything regarding kidney damage or stress with the eye institute's protocols.

Recently there was a paper denoting the effects of N-Acetylglucosamine and MS. the results were more than good. Glucosamine itself is used for arthritis and or IBD.... however there are precautions that must be observed.... such as:


Precautions:
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/glucosamine-000306.htm
>>Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, dietary supplements should be taken only under the supervision of a knowledgeable health care provider.

Studies suggest that glucosamine is safe, and causes only minor side effects, such as stomach upset, heartburn, indigestion, gas, bloating, nauseau, and diarrhea. If these occur, try taking glucosamine with food. People with peptic ulcers should take glucosamine sulfate with food.

Glucosamine sulfate may contain high amounts of sodium or potassium. People on a restricted diet or who take potassium sparing diuretics should carefully check the label before taking glucosamine supplements.

People with diabetes should have their blood sugar checked regularly. Glucosamine may cause insulin to work less effectively.<<

The nutritional interventions in degenerative eye diseases however have me very very excited. It seems to me that NO ONE would want to dicker on this one. No one would want to make hay over whether or not there is something there for them when faced with the facts that there are few if any interventions for these concerns.

The reason for there not being any pharmaceutical interventions (that work well) is because it is a disease of deficiency... perhaps due to malabsorption... perhaps due to a McDonald's world, perhaps due to genetics that involve pathways that involve trafficking of lutein to the eye on a molecule of cholesterol... perhaps due to cholesterol being "too low". I don't have these answers however I do know for a fact that the results that these eye institutes are achieving are based on truth and the sooner maintstream medicine acknowledges it the better for all of us.

That's the plan, to get this sort of intervention into the mainstream so that your motherinlaw, brother, cousin or daughter might retain or even regain better vision. There is no price you can put on this.... oh wait, there is.

The price of the pharmcos not being able to patent lutein and associated eye protective natural molecules and the associated refusal of the health insurance companies to cover their use. This cost weighs heavily on all of us and legislation needs to be passed to correct this injustice. If it works, cover it, if it has been proven to improve vision stop trying to pass it off as snake oil. If it needs to be used in therapeutic doses, prescribe it. If you cannot prove that it doesn't work, oh wait, you cannot.

First they ridicule you, then they fight you, then they chime in, then you win.

[flamingdem]

13. It's not clear to me if taking them before symptoms happen is worthwhile

Do you have any good information about supplements for cataracts?

That one is controversial. In this case I'm concerned with inhibiting growth of existing cataracts.

It's a different animal of course from macular degeneration but perhaps there are benefits with lutein, etc. as well?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

15. I do not have any good information about supplements for cataracts, however I hear the

operation is an in and out procedure, painless and almost 100% effective.

[MineralMan]

14. Actually, the doctor at that site sells his own line of

supplements. See a doctor who doesn't sell supplements, not one with a product to sell. That's my advice. Pretty much all ophthalmologists have the information you need on supplements for macular degeneration. A doctor who sells his own supplements should be thought about long and hard.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

16. As should doctors who have a pharmco detail man visit their office each month. n/t

[MineralMan]

17. The clinic where my internist practices does not allow such

visits, but does accept literature and samples. For many doctors, all those free samples end up being used by patients who cannot afford their prescriptions. There's a lot of abuse by the pharmaceutical industry, of course, and choosing a doctor who goes first to generic medications and only prescribes the hot new stuff if it is actually the best idea for a particular case is a really good plan.

At least, it's evidence-based, and not just supported by testimonials. It's also not some guy doing a private labeling on a supplement and selling it for far more than it's actual price. Judging by the prices on the website for that particular doctor, he's jacking up the prices for those supplements over actual market values.

Take Lutein, for example. There are only a couple of manufacturers of Lutein USP. All of the supplements containing it obtain the bulk product from those manufacturers. All pay about the same price for the stuff. Then, they use it in whatever formulations they dream up. The variation in pricing is enormous for these things. Tack a trade name onto your version, pitch it on your website, and clean up.

It all comes from the same few sources. All of it. Not one of these supplement sellers manufactures its own raw ingredients. Most do not even make their own pills or capsules. It's all the same stuff from the same sources, pretty much.

Big Supplement has about the same issues as Big Pharma. It's just that you can buy their nostrums over the counter without a prescription.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

18. A particular form of Lutein whose name we shall not mention has the following

patents. Why I don't know, you can guess as to why or you can read up on it. This is what it contains for reasons unknown. It is able to be patented for reasons unknown. Perhaps it should not be patented but it is. Perhaps it works stunningly well but I cannot say. What I can tell you is that it is patented and most likely is a highly researched and refined product. If you can prove otherwise please do.


Nutrition of Super Lutein

Lutein

Zeaxanthin

Lycopene

Crocetin

Beta Carotene

Alpha Carotene

Blue Berry Extract

Black Current

Vitamin B Complex

Vitamin E

DHA

U.S.Patent: 5,382,714/5,648,564

Japanese Patent: 2,790,212

Australia Patent: 700,719

14 national monopoly European Union Patent: 0672655

Finland
Germany
Greece
FranceBritain
Holland
Sweden
Austria
Luxembourg
Ireland
Portugal
Italy
Belgium
Shan Mai

[MineralMan]

19. The formulation of the whole thing is patented,

not the lutein. Lutein can't be patented. It's a common chemical derived from flowers. It's also used as a food dye. It's been around for a very long time.

The combination of ingredients in your pill can be patented, though. A patent doesn't say anything about its efficacy or quality. It's just a patent for a specific formulation. Truly, you do not understand this very well. Patents aren't judgments of value. They are just protection against anyone selling the exact same combination of ingredients in that exact amount. Meaningless except to the seller of that combination.

Almost all Lutein sold in the world is produced from the flower petals of chrysanthemums. It's what give them their yellow color. Zeaxanthin comes from the same source. Almost all of it is produced in China. It is not what is patented in your pill. It is the formulation of that ingredient list that is patented.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

20. I beg to differ.

http://www.kemin.com/pressroom/news--events/news/patent-reissued-including-new-claims-for-kemin-healths-floraglo-lutein2

DES MOINES, Iowa – June 11, 2009 – Kemin Health is pleased to announce that Notices of Allowance have been issued by the United States Patent Office for claims 1-20 and two new claims 21 and 22 of U.S. Patent 5,382,714. The Notices of Allowance are in response to two recent decisions from the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences of the U.S. PTO, where the Board agreed with Kemin’s position in the reissue applications the company filed on the ‘714 Patent. The Board, in its review, also granted Kemin two additional claims

The reissue applications contain claims covering (1) a lutein composition comprising (a) at least about 90% lutein having been extracted and purified from plant extracts which contain 10% or less of non-lutein carotenoids, (b) no traces of toxic chemicals that would render the lutein composition unsuitable for human consumption, and (c) significantly less than about 10% of non-lutein carotenoids obtained by purification of said plant extracts as well as (2) a method for providing such lutein compositions to humans.

[flamingdem]

5. This one scares me

as well as cataracts at an early age.

It seems not to make sense to megadose until you know you are vulnerable. Tomato sauce seems to offer some help!

Lycopene and Tomatoes – Lycopene - Cancer, Heart Disease, and ...
longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/a/lycopene.htm

Aug 27, 2007 – There does seem to be a link between tomato consumption and a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer and macular degeneration. However ...these studies do not look at the effects of lycopene alone. Tomatoes contain a large number of other nutrients in addition to lycopene that could have a positive effect on health, including vitamin C, folate and potassium. The studies do not control for the possibility that people who eat a lot of tomatoes may also be generally more health conscious and have a better overall diet.

I found out that some tout megadoses;
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117186&page=1

But scientists have now found new hope. The researchers report that a high-dose supplement containing vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and zinc significantly decreases the risk of macular degeneration progressing to blindness. The study appears in the October issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

------
Supplements given in the study contain much higher amounts of the vitamins beta-carotene and zinc than a normal diet or even a daily multi-vitamin would provide — eight times the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, 50 times vitamin E, five times the zinc and three times the daily recommendation of beta-carotene.

[MineralMan]

7. As with all things, I keep an eye on this, but am guided by

my physician. At age 66, I show no signs of macular degeneration, so my doc says that I'm probably getting enough of this stuff. I do take a multi-vitamin targeted at men my age and some vitamin C every day, though, just in case. The multi has both lutein and beta-carotene in it. I buy it at Costco. Not very expensive, really.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. Seems like there might be a down side to this approach, I hope they are checking for

it... even still, this is something to keep in mind.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=222&topic_id=110986&mesg_id=111006

PS: My multi runs me about 30 cents per day, and since I don't spend 5 or 10 dollars a day on cigarettes I feel that I am ahead of the game.