Effect of an antioxidant supplement containing high dose lutein and zeaxanthin on macular pigment and skin carotenoid levels

Akira Obana,Werner Gellermann,Yuko Gohto,Paul S Bernstein,Takanobu Moriyama,Risa Nakazawa

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-66962-2

Akira Obana, Werner Gellermann + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66962-2

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The effect of a high dose lutein/zeaxanthin supplement on macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and skin carotenoid (SC) levels in healthy subjects was investigated. This is a prospective, single-arm, open-label study. Subjects were 16 Japanese, age 26–57 years. Subjects took a supplement containing 20 mg/day of lutein, 4 mg/day of zeaxanthin, and other antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, copper) for 16 weeks. MPOD levels were measured by a two-wavelength autofluorescence imaging technique. SC levels were measured by reflection spectroscopy. Total volume of MPOD within 9° eccentricity significantly increased by week 8 and continued to increase until week 16 (p < 0.0001, two-way factorial ANOVA). The increase rate of MPOD was significantly higher in subjects with body mass index (BMI) less than 25 kg/m2 (n = 13) compared to those of 25 kg/m2 and higher (n = 3). SC levels increased significantly by week 4 and continued to increase until week 16 (p < 0.0001, two-way factorial ANOVA). All subjects completed the study without any serious adverse events. These results demonstrated the effectiveness of a high dose lutein/zeaxanthin supplement for MPOD volume and SC levels without serious adverse events.

Highlights

The effect of a high dose lutein/zeaxanthin supplement on macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and skin carotenoid (SC) levels in healthy subjects was investigated
Regarding the subset of carotenoids found in the human macula, previous studies have reported a weak to moderate correlation between MPOD and skin carotenoid (SC) levels measured by resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS)[20,21,22,23]
All subjects completed the study without serious adverse events

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Introduction

The effect of a high dose lutein/zeaxanthin supplement on macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and skin carotenoid (SC) levels in healthy subjects was investigated. The light protection effect of MP is thought to prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD)[7,12,13,14,15], and our previous study on a Japanese population indicated that lower MPOD levels may be a risk factor for AMD progression[16] The Age-related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) Research Group conducted the first multi-center, randomized trial to verify the prophylactic effect of a supplement containing vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and zinc, and demonstrated that this supplement formula reduced the 5-year risk of advanced AMD in persons at Japanese Age: 20–60 years old No ocular pathologies detected by slit-lamp biomicroscopy and fundus ophthalmoscopy Visual acuity of 0.8* or above at the time of MPOD measurement Spherical equivalent refractive error less than −6.0 diopter No gastrointestinal diseases that could interfere with dietary absorption No diabetes No history of lutein/zeaxanthin or co-antioxidants supplement intake No allergies to lutein/zeaxanthin Not pregnant or breast-feeding Pupil diameter of 6.5 mm or more by mydriatic agent. Commercial products in Japan contain less zinc than the AREDS formula since the maximum allowable amount of zinc in Japan is 30 mg per day, whereas the AREDS formula contains 65 mg of zinc (80 mg of zinc oxide)

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