The study, published in Ophthalmology Science, used Kemin’s FloraGLO Lutein and OPTISHARP Natural Zeaxanthin and was designed to investigate whether the carotenoids should be added to standard-of-care prenatal vitamins for expecting mothers.
“From the infants’ perspective, the bioavailability of lutein and zeaxanthin could potentially provide an early start for their lifelong physiological and protective roles for the developing retina and infant vision,” said Dr. Emmanuel Kofi Addo from the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah and lead author on the paper.
“The clinical relevance of differences in foveal maturity observed in our study lies in the potential long-term benefits for visual and cognitive development. Enhanced foveal maturity may improve infant visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. Thus, a well-developed fovea is essential for sharp central vision and is critical for recognizing faces as children grow.”
Connecting the eye and the brain
Lutein is well-established as an eye health ingredient, given that it and zeaxanthin are concentrated in the macula.
The macula is a yellow spot of about five millimeters diameter on the retina (lutein and zeaxanthin are the source of the yellow color).
The link between lutein and eye health was first reported in 1994 by Dr Johanna Seddon and her co-workers at Harvard University, who associated intake of carotenoid-rich food, particularly dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, and a significant reduction in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (JAMA, Vol. 272, pp. 1413-1420).
Numerous studies with data from primates, children, middle-aged people and the elderly now support the importance of lutein in brain health, which is unsurprising given that the eyes and the brain are connected.
Indeed, recent findings from pediatric brain tissue studies have shown that about 60% of the total carotenoids in the pediatric brain tissue is lutein, and yet NHANES data show that lutein represents only about 12% of carotenoids in the diet, showing an apparent preference for lutein in the brain (Vishwanathan et al. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2014).
L-ZIP
The Lutein and Zeaxanthin in Pregnancy (L-ZIP) clinical trial was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute.
The researchers recruited 47 pregnant women and assigned all of them to receive a standard-of-care prenatal multivitamin with DHA omega-3 (distributed by Walgreens) starting in the first trimester. Half of the women also received softgel supplements containing 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin.
Results showed that the lutein-zeaxanthin supplementation led to statistically significant and clinically important increases in maternal and infant systemic carotenoid levels.
Additionally, infants in the carotenoid group experienced a 20% increase in macular pigment optical density. Their foveal parameters were also deemed to be more “mature” compared to the control group.
“The significant findings of improved carotenoid status in both mom and baby, as well as the improvement in the infant’s eye development, provide compelling evidence that lutein and zeaxanthin should become standard of care for all pregnant women,” said Brenda Fonseca, global technical services lead at Kemin Human Nutrition & Health.
“Most prenatal supplements and infant formulas currently lack lutein and zeaxanthin, but this research highlights their crucial role and potential long-lasting benefits on maternal and infant health. Kemin is proud of its role in this remarkable study.”
The L-ZIP study is the 18th peer-reviewed publication using Kemin’s FloraGLO Lutein in maternal and infant health.
Source: Ophthalmology Science
September 2024, Volume 4, Issue 5, 100537, doi: 10.1016/j.xops.2024.100537
“Ocular Effects of Prenatal Carotenoid Supplementation in the Mother and Her Child: The Lutein and Zeaxanthin in Pregnancy (L-ZIP) Randomized Trial - Report Number 2”
Authors: E.K. Addo et al.