Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Meso-zeaxanthin Supplementation Associated with Macular Pigment Optical Density.

Le Ma,Le Ma,Xiao Liu,Rong Liu,Tao Liu,Shan Wu,Shan Wu,Jun Du

doi:10.3390/nu8070426

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin on macular pigment optical density (MPOD) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) among patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and healthy subjects. Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases was searched through May 2016. Meta-analysis was conducted to obtain adjusted weighted mean differences (WMD) for intervention-versus-placebo group about the change of MPOD between baseline and terminal point. Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the changes in MPOD and blood xanthophyll carotenoids or baseline MPOD levels. Twenty RCTs involving 938 AMD patients and 826 healthy subjects were identified. Xanthophyll carotenoids supplementation was associated with significant increase in MPOD in AMD patients (WMD, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.11) and healthy subjects (WMD, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.14). Stratified analysis showed a greater increase in MPOD among trials supplemented and combined with meso-zeaxanthin. Additionally, the changes in MPOD were related with baseline MPOD levels (rAMD = −0.43, p = 0.06; rhealthy subjects = −0.71, p < 0.001) and blood xanthophyll carotenoids concentration (rAMD = 0.40, p = 0.07; rhealthy subjects = 0.33, p = 0.05). This meta-analysis revealed that lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin supplementation improved MPOD both in AMD patients and healthy subjects with a dose-response relationship.

Highlights

The macula is a specialized part in the posterior pole of retina, since it mediates central vision, provides the sharpest visual acuity and facilitates the best color discrimination [1]
A comprehensive search was performed to identify all relevant articles in Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library database up to May 2016, using the search terms lutein, zeaxanthin, meso-zeaxanthin, xanthophyll or carotenoids in conjunction with each of the following words: macular pigment optical density, macular pigment density, macular pigment, MPOD and MP, as well as combinations of these terms
We subsequently evaluated the relationship between the change in serum carotenoids concentration and the change in MPOD (Figure 3)

Summary

Introduction

The macula is a specialized part in the posterior pole of retina, since it mediates central vision, provides the sharpest visual acuity and facilitates the best color discrimination [1]. As the major functional component in the macular region, macular pigment (MP) was uniquely concentrated in the inner and central layers and mainly composed of xanthophyll carotenoids, including lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. The concentration of these carotenoids in the macular region is about. Elevated MP affords protection against the development of many retinal diseases, especially for age-related macular degeneration (AMD); contrarily, low MP enhanced the risk of these diseases [4,6,12,13]

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