Did You Know that Lutein can Help Macular Degeneration?

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by: Martino
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Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 Time: 12:40 PM
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In the United States alone, over 1.5 million individuals have reported to suffer from macular degeneration, and this number is expected to increase. The condition characterized by the blurring or loss of the central part of the vision field is either caused by the loss of cones at the central part of the eye or the abnormal growth of blood vessels in the capillaries behind the retina, and may lead to legal blindness. Lutein has been recommended by health professionals and specialists in eye problems to impede the progress of this age related illness.

Age-related macular degeneration, commonly abbreviated as AMD, is, as its name suggests, due to the breaking down of cells in the macula lutea as we age. The macula, located at the center of the retina of the human eye, has molecular structures that are responsible for high visual acuity and houses a high concentration of cones, which facilitate the perception of color in the eye and work best in bright light. It has a high deposition of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, displaying a highly visible yellow pigmentation.

Associated with the aging process is the formation of small and hard extracellular debris now identified as drusen, and in general the first drusen appear in the human eye between the retina and the choroid when we hit 40. These cellular deposits may accumulate into larger masses and significantly obstruct the supply of blood from the choroid to the retina. The central field of vision is a display of the functions of the macula and gets impaired blood supply through the choroid is cut off by coalesced drusen materials.

The function of choroid is to supply the retina with oxygen and other nutrients as transported by the blood. New vascular tissues that form in the choroid may grow abnormally and turn into defective blood vessels, consequently resulting in age-related macular degeneration. This type of AMD is oftentimes referred to as wet in that it causes the leakage of blood and protein in the macula. The bleeding scars and damages the surrounding tissues and leads to rapid loss of vision if not given immediate attention.

Remember that the macula contains lutein, which belongs to a group of yellow carotenoids known as xanthophylls. The macula, like sunglasses, protects us from bright lights by absorbing both blue light and ultraviolet distributed in the eye. Lutein, as well as the other carotenoid zeaxanthin, works on the same principle, appearing yellow to the naked eye. Now the reason why the macula is visibly yellow is that they contain these yellow carotenoids, which we largely get from the food we eat. Lutein, in addition to zeaxanthin, is widely believed to keep the macula healthy and ward off macular degeneration. Dietary intake with high doses of protein is considered the only effective way to slow AMD.

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