Preventing Macular Degeneration: Role of Lutein and Zeaxanthin

Healthy diets rich in lutein and zeaxanthin can prevent macular degeneration progression.

### Preventing Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The Role of Lutein and Zeaxanthin
* 🥗 A healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and unprocessed foods can **significantly lower oxidative stress on the retina**, helping to **prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD)**.
* 🚭 Reducing exposure to smoke and tobacco consumption is crucial in **minimizing oxidative stress**, further protecting **retinal health**.
* 🌱 Lutein and zeaxanthin, two essential carotenoids, are vital for eye health, particularly in **maintaining central vision**, as they form **protective barriers in the retina**.
* 🔵 These carotenoids filter **harmful blue light** and protect against **oxidative damage**, which is critical in **preventing retinal toxicity**.
* 🥬 Increasing dietary intake of **lutein and zeaxanthin** through green leafy vegetables and carrots can **enhance macular protection**.
* 🐟 Incorporating fish oil into the diet also contributes to the **overall protection of the macula**.
* 📊 The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) demonstrated that supplements containing **lutein and zeaxanthin** can **slow the progression of dry AMD** to its more severe **wet form**.
* 💊 The AREDS2 vitamin formulation includes these carotenoids along with other antioxidants, working together to **prevent the advancement of AMD effectively**.

Hello, welcome again. My name is Andrew Brown, the faculty here at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute. Thank you for joining us for this macular degeneration information bite. Today, we're going to talk about lutein and zeaxanthin, which are two biochemicals that are a part of a family called the carotenoids. These are very important to the health of the eye, and in particular, the central vision. Zeaxanthin is very highly concentrated in the macula, which is the central part of our vision. These chemicals are concentrated right on the inner layers of the retina, and they form two protective barriers for the central vision. The first barrier is as a filter for blue light as it comes into the eye. Blue light has been suggested and demonstrated to have toxicity for the retina. The second function is behaving as a protection against oxidation inside the eye. Lutein and zeaxanthin, and the family of carotenoids, prevent peroxidation of long-chain polyunsaturated fats, and this prevention

of oxidation also prevents damage inside the eye. The most important ways that we can prevent age-related macular degeneration is by increasing the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin in our diets. There are fruits and vegetables that have a higher concentration of lutein and zeaxanthin. Some of these include green leafy vegetables and carrots. You can also increase the protection of your macula with things like fish oil. The age-related eye disease study was a large study sponsored by the NIH to study the value of supplemental nutrients to preventing age-related macular degeneration. What they found was that including things like lutein and zeaxanthin in a vitamin supplement slowed down and prevented the progression of dry macular degeneration to the wet form of the disease. Therefore, all of the age-related eye disease study number two vitamin formulation, also known as the AREDS2 vitamins, have a combination of lutein and zeaxanthin in addition to other vitamin antioxidants that all in concert prevent

damage to the retina. As with so many things in medicine, a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle also prevent the progression of age-related macular degeneration. Therefore, eating healthy diets rich in vegetables, fruits, and unprocessed foods is a way of lowering the sources of oxidative stress to the retina. Similarly, reducing exposure to smoke or reducing tobacco consumption is a way of reducing oxidative stress to the retina. So, in combination with lutein and zeaxanthin and a variety of other antioxidants that are included in a Reds vitamins, we can slow down the progression of early macular degeneration to the advanced forms of the disease. Thank you for joining us again for this macular degeneration information bite. If you have any further questions, please feel free to talk to your local eye care provider.

Importance of Leutin and Zeaxanthin For the Eyes

NKCF at UCI Gavin Herbert Eye Institute

The Role of Lutein and Zeaxanthin in Eye Health

Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids essential for eye health, particularly in central vision.

Zeaxanthin is highly concentrated in the macula, forming protective barriers for central vision by filtering blue light and providing oxidation protection.

These carotenoids also prevent peroxidation of long-chain polyunsaturated fats in the eye, contributing to overall retinal health.

Preventing Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Increasing lutein and zeaxanthin in our diets, through fruits and vegetables like green leafy vegetables and carrots, can help prevent age-related macular degeneration.

Fish oil also provides protection for the macula.

The NIH-sponsored age-related eye disease study found that supplemental nutrients, including lutein and zeaxanthin, slowed down the progression of dry macular degeneration to the wet form, leading to the formulation of AREDS2 vitamins.

A healthy diet and lifestyle can slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration.

Eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and unprocessed foods helps reduce oxidative stress on the retina.

Additionally, reducing tobacco exposure and incorporating antioxidants, like lutein and zeaxanthin, can further aid in preventing the disease's advancement.