Info: 60 Softgels (a 2 Month Supply)
Enhance your visual function with flower power! Extensive exposure to sunlight and other sources of high-energy blue wavelengths can take a real toll on our vision. Our eyes' natural defense against that comes in the form of these two (and a half*) types of yellow carotenoid pigments. Since not everyone eats enough of the relevant foods these days to maintain an adequate lutein supply or can produce enough of the alternate form of zeaxanthin on their own, this formulation provides ample amounts of both, sourced from marigold flower petals, in the same 5 to 1 ratio normally found in balanced diets.
Info: 60 Softgels (a 2 Month Supply)
Enhance your visual function with flower power! Extensive exposure to sunlight and other sources of high-energy blue wavelengths can take a real toll on our vision. Our eyes' natural defense against that comes in the form of these two (and a half*) types of yellow carotenoid pigments. Since not everyone eats enough of the relevant foods these days to maintain an adequate lutein supply or can produce enough of the alternate form of zeaxanthin on their own, this formulation provides ample amounts of both, sourced from marigold flower petals, in the same 5 to 1 ratio normally found in balanced diets.
Product Notes:
Even if we keep active and try to eat right and are otherwise healthy, many of us experience vision loss as we age, often due to the toxic effects of high energy blue light (not only from sunlight but also indoor lighting and screen devices), especially if we have insufficient stores of these macular pigments in the macula (the small area at the back of the eyeball responsible for our central vision and most of our colour vision and ability to see fine detail) to filter that blue light out and protect surrounding ocular cells against oxidative stress counteract free radicals.
Extensive research indicates a deficiency in Lutein and Zeaxanthin can cause an accumulation of oxidative damage which can not only lead to various types of eye strain and sensitivity to glare in the short term but also to cataracts or even age-related macular degeneration over the longer term, while supplementing with them can not only significantly delay the progression of those conditions, but may also improve sleep quality, memory, and stress response – because these antioxidants also have other types of protective roles in the brain and blue light exposure can also interfere with sleep.
* Note, zeaxanthin actually comes in two forms, which are both needed in the macula, and are both included under a single heading in this formulation. The much lesser known type is called meso-zeaxanthin, and is almost a mirror image of lutein, chemically speaking. Our bodies normally obtain it by converting dietary lutein, but apparently that does not happen to the degree that it should in about 12% of people (Nolan et al., 2012).
Ingredients:
Each softgel contains:
125 mg Marigold Flower Extract (Tagetes erecta L.) (Lutemax® 2020), providing:
- 25 mg Lutein
- 5 mg Zeaxanthin
Non-medicinal ingredients: Softgel (gelatin, water, glycerin), Sunflower Oil, Natural Mixed Tocopherols (from non-GMO soy oil).
Lutemax® is a registered trademark of the OmniActive Health Technologies, Ltd.
Suggested Usage:
Take 1 softgel daily with a meal containing oil/fat.
Store bottle in a cool, dry place.
Warnings:
Do not take if you are allergic to plants of the Asteraceae/ Compositae/ Daisy family.
Health Canada Natural Product Number: 80074663.
Supporting Science:
“Bioavailability of lutein/zeaxanthin isomers and macular pigment optical density response to macular carotenoid supplementation: A randomized double blind placebo controlled study.” New Frontiers in Ophthalmology, 2016.
“Contrast Sensitivity and Lateral Inhibition Are Enhanced With Macular Carotenoid Supplementation.” Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2017.
“Effects of macular xanthophyll supplementation on brain-derived neurotrophic factor, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and cognitive performance.” Physiology & Behavior, 2019.
“Lutein and Zeaxanthin Isomers Effect on Sleep Quality: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial” Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research (BJSTR), 2018.
“Lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin: The basic and clinical science underlying carotenoid-based nutritional interventions against ocular disease.” Progress in Retinal and Eye Research, 2016.
“Macular carotenoid supplementation improves disability glare performance and dynamics of photostress recovery.” Eye and Vision (London, England), 2016.
Nolan, John M et al. “Macular carotenoid supplementation in subjects with atypical spatial profiles of macular pigment.” Experimental Eye Research, 2012.
“Macular Carotenoid Supplementation Improves Visual Performance, Sleep Quality, and Adverse Physical Symptoms in Those with High Screen Time Exposure.” Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 2017.
“Supplemental Retinal Carotenoids Enhance Memory in Healthy Individuals with Low Levels of Macular Pigment in A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.” Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: JAD, 2018.
“Supplementation with macular carotenoids reduces psychological stress, serum cortisol, and sub-optimal symptoms of physical and emotional health in young adults.” Nutritional Neuroscience, 2018.
“What is meso-zeaxanthin, and where does it come from?” Eye (London, England), 2013.
“Why is Zeaxanthin the Most Concentrated Xanthophyll in the Central Fovea?” Nutrients, 2020.
“Zeaxanthin: Metabolism, Properties, and Antioxidant Protection of Eyes, Heart, Liver, and Skin.” Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 2019.