Lutein Side Effects

Many elderly individuals are now taking lutein supplements daily for many years, and perhaps decades. Do we really know whether it is safe to take a lutein supplement for prolonged periods? Does lutein have any short term or long term side effects? One study evaluated lutein side effects for a period of six months.

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Lutein is a potent antioxidant carotenoid found in abundance in fruits and green leafy vegetables. Lutein is also one of the dominant pigments found in the macular region of the retina. In the macula, lutein is selectively accumulated from plasma and filters out visible blue light. Recent studies suggest this filtering process serves to protect the retina from damage caused by light or oxidation. This Lutein product is extracted from the marigold flower.

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Six month lutein study shows no side effects
The effect of lutein and zeaxanthin supplementation on metabolites of these carotenoids in the serum of persons aged 60 or older.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2006 Dec;47(12):5234-42. Khachik F, de Moura FF, Chew EY, Douglass LW, Ferris FL 3rd, Kim J, Thompson DJ. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN), University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2021, USA.
To investigate the effect of lutein supplementation at doses of 2.5, 5.0, and 10 mg/d for 6 months on distribution of these carotenoids and their metabolites in the serum of elderly human subjects, with and without age-related macular degeneration. To determine whether supplementation with lutein can interact with the serum levels of other dietary carotenoids, retinol, and alpha-tocopherol. Forty-five subjects received daily supplements of lutein (containing 5% zeaxanthin) for 6 months and were followed up for another 6 months after supplementation. Blood was collected at various intervals and lutein, zeaxanthin, and their metabolites in the sera were quantified by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV/visible detection. After 6 months of supplementation with 10 mg of lutein, the increases in the mean serum levels from baseline were: 210 to 1000 nM/L for lutein and 56 to 95 nM/L for zeaxanthin. Similarly, the mean concentrations (nM/L) of carotenoid metabolites increased from 49 to 98 for 3-hydroxy-beta,epsilon-caroten-3'-one (3'-oxolutein); 31 to 80 for 3'-hydroxy-epsilon,epsilon-caroten-3-one; and 19 to 25 for epsilon,epsilon-carotene-3,3'-dione. The serum levels of these carotenoids gradually decline within 6 months after supplementation. The increase in the serum levels of lutein / zeaxanthin correlates with increases in the serum levels of their metabolites that have previously been identified in the ocular tissues. Elderly human subjects with and without AMD can safely take supplements of lutein up to 10 mg/d for 6 months with no apparent toxicity or side effects.

Lutein supplement side effects
At this point, it appears that taking a lutein supplement daily for many months does not lead to side effects. However, it is best to limit lutein use to less than 10 mg a day until we have research from longer studies. One possible lutein side effect is the possibility that taking too high a dose may displace the other carotenoids in the retina and cause an imbalance in the retina. You may wish to skip taking your lutein supplement once or twice a week to see if your vision improves on the days when you are not taking it. This way you will know if your daily lutein dose is too high.

Lutein eyes side effects

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