{"id":3615,"date":"2023-05-11T21:52:01","date_gmt":"2023-05-11T14:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/can-lutein-supplements-benefit-our-brain-function\/"},"modified":"2023-05-11T21:52:01","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T14:52:01","slug":"can-lutein-supplements-benefit-our-brain-function","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=3615","title":{"rendered":"Can Lutein Supplements Benefit Our Brain Function?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Avocados, greens, and lutein and zeaxanthin supplements are put to the test for improving cognitive function.<\/p>\n<p>Dark green leafy vegetables are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25109868\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">packed<\/a> with a brain antioxidant called lutein, so increasing our greens intake \u201ccould be an important public health strategy for reducing the risk of visual or cognitive impairment.\u201d Lutein <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26566524\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">is<\/a> the dominant dietary pigment in the retina of the eye, as well as the brain. So, \u201cit is not surprising that macular pigment density\u201d\u2014the concentration of lutein in the center of the eye called the macula\u2014\u201cwas found to be significantly correlated with their levels in matched brain tissue.\u201d This may explain the link between cognitive function and how much of these nutrients from greens you can see in the back of the eye. It\u2019s assumed the neuroprotection is thanks to lutein being such a powerful antioxidant, but it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25109868\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has<\/a> anti-inflammatory properties, too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis relationship between lutein and zeaxanthin [another greens nutrient] and visual and cognitive health throughout the lifespan is compelling.\u201d That statement, however, was based on observational studies, where you observe that higher lutein levels and brain function seem to go together.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t know if it\u2019s actually cause and effect, though, until you put it to the test. As I discuss in my video <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-do-lutein-supplements-help-with-brain-function\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Friday Favorites: Do Lutein Supplements Help with Brain Function?<\/a><\/strong>, \u201cCould L [lutein] and Z [zeaxanthin] be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24508218\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">supplemented<\/a> as part of a lifestyle intervention to both improve central neural [brain] function and reduce the probability of progression through the various stages of dementia?\u201d There\u2019s a reason everyone is so excited about the possibility. Hopeful data from eye health studies have convinced many ophthalmologists to start recommending people to increase their intakes of lutein and zeaxanthin to prevent and treat macular degeneration, a leading cause of age-related vision loss. You don\u2019t have to take pills, though. Adding as little as 60 grams of spinach a day for a month can significantly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9286268\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">boost<\/a> macular pigment in most individuals. That\u2019s only about one-fifth of a ten-ounce package of frozen spinach.<\/p>\n<p>Greens aren\u2019t good for just\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24310343\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">treating<\/a> diseased eyes. A randomized, placebo-controlled study found that the goodies in greens can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25483230\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">improve<\/a> visual processing speed in young healthy people\u2014like when you\u2019re trying to hit a fastball and your body has to begin reacting even before you consciously register that the ball is coming towards you. There are also real-world benefits outside of the Major League, though, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23360692\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">improving<\/a> visual performance during driving.<\/p>\n<p>What about cognition? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28824416\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">gave<\/a> adults with an average age of 73 the equivalent of either a daily half cup of cooked kale or a full cup of cooked spinach, and found significant improvements in cognitive function compared to those randomized to the placebo.<\/p>\n<p>It may even work in young adults averaging around age 21. In one study, daily supplementation with that same amount of lutein and zeaxanthin not only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29135938\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">increased<\/a> their macular pigment, but it resulted in significant improvements in brain function, including spatial memory, reasoning ability, and complex attention.<\/p>\n<p>Have researchers ever tried putting whole foods to the test? It\u2019s hard to get Americans to eat greens every day, but not so hard to get them to eat green <em>guacamole<\/em>. A six-month, randomized, controlled trial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28832514\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tested<\/a> the effects of the intake of avocado on cognition. What was the control? Study participants either ate a daily avocado, potato, or cup of chickpeas, and those in the avocado group had a significant improvement in cognitive function. But, to the Hass Avocado Board\u2019s chagrin, so did the subjects in the potato and chickpea groups. That\u2019s the problem with having healthy placebos! Maybe they should have used iceberg lettuce as the control.<\/p>\n<p>What about the impact on cognition of those who really need it, like Alzheimer\u2019s disease patients? Researchers found that their vision got better, so that\u2019s good, but their cognitive function didn\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25408222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">change<\/a> significantly. Now, it\u2019s possible that eating whole foods, like dark leafy greens, might have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26305649\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">worked<\/a> better than just the pigments in pill form.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, \u201coxidation and inflammation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/27184270\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">appear<\/a> to be key to both diseases [Alzheimer\u2019s and macular degeneration], and neither seems particularly amenable to late-stage treatments.\u201d That\u2019s why prevention is critical. Reducing oxidation and inflammation in the earliest stages may be our most promising approach.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/>  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n            !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n            {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n                n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n            if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n            n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n            t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n            s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n                'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('init', '1582627921973608');\n            fbq('track', 'PageView');\n        <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Avocados, greens, and lutein and zeaxanthin supplements are put to the test for improving cognitive function. Dark green leafy vegetables are packed with a brain antioxidant called lutein, so increasing our greens intake \u201ccould be an important public health strategy for reducing the risk of visual or cognitive impairment.\u201d Lutein is the dominant dietary pigment &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}