How Lutein and Zeaxanthin Benefit Vision
Free radicals everywhere!
Before we talk about how Lutein and Zeaxanthin benefit your vision, we need to start by understanding these two vital carotenoids. Carotenoids are the pigments that are produced by plants and make fruits and vegetables have a yellowish/ reddish hue. Structurally they’re quite similar and they both Lutein and Zeaxanthin are powerful antioxidants and have many benefits to offer the biggest benefit they bring to the table is eye protection.
Your Best Defense
Lutein and Zeaxanthin basically are the top of the line defense against free radicals (Long story short free radicals damage your cells). If you don’t know how free radicals affect the body or why antioxidants are the best form of defense against them check out How Antioxidants Affect The Body where we breakdown how this all goes down. How Lutein and Zeaxanthin benefit your vision is really quite simple, they protect your body’s DNA, proteins and fats from stressors or these free radicals.
Understanding how Lutein and Zeaxanthin benefits your eyes can be broken down like this: When your eyes are exposed to blue light and oxygen there is then a production of hurtful oxygen free radicals. Blue light from new smart devices can also have the same effect, making this supplement extremely important for young children still developing who have way more access to screen time. Lutein and Zeaxanthin basically counter act this production of harmful free radicals, reducing damage to your eyes.
The Research
In a study “Studies on the Singlet Oxygen Scavenging Mechanism of Human Macular Pigment” researchers concluded that both Lutein and Zeaxanthin can be beneficial to eye health when used alone, but using the two carotenoids together produce a much stronger and more efficient form to combat free radicals. In another study “The Role of Lutein in Eye Related Diseases” researchers were able to conclude that “The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and blue light-absorptive properties of lutein provide its many protective roles in various ocular diseases especially AMD and cataracts. Lutein has become known as the “eye vitamin” and its dietary intake is important in maintaining its concentration in human lens and retina.” Further showing that using both Lutein and Zeaxanthin rich supplements add to your eye health by a huge amount.
Knowing that Lutein and Zeaxanthin benefit your vision is one thing, seeing how they fight free radicals and also give your body more antioxidants is all the more reason you should be taking a supplement with Lutein and Zeaxanthin. Fortunately for growing children we have our Children's Complete Multi Vitamin all new formula with, you guessed it Lutein and Zeaxanthin.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3708350/