By Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, July 20, 2006, abstracted from “Antioxidant activity, mutagenicity/anti-mutagenicity, and clastogenicity/anti-clastogenicity of lutein from marigold flowers” in the 2006 issue of Food and Chemical Toxicology
As an antioxidant found in many fruits and vegetables and in highest amounts in the marigold flower, lutein belongs to a group of plant pigments called carotenoids and has been researched for over fifteen years.
1 Lutein has been found to possess a number of health-promoting properties, especially in
helping maintain eye health2 is associated with improving markers of age-related macular degeneration,
3 the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly population.
Lutein has also been found to help enhance immune system function,4 protect skin from ultraviolet light5 and prevent cardiovascular hardening caused by aging and other factors.(6, 7) Lutein has also been listed by the FDA among the ten phytochemicals “generally regarded as safe”.8 Now a new study9 has not only increased lutein’s reputation as a very potent antioxidant, but also one that is safe at high dosages.
In the study, researchers exposed hamster cells to three different concentrations of lutein (1.9, 3.8, and 7.6 grams) to see if any of the dosages of lutein mutated any chromosomes in the exposed hamster cells. They also compared lutein’s antioxidant strength to that of lyocpene and beta-carotene using two different antioxidant tests called PCL and beta-CLAMS.10
The researchers found that not only did lutein not cause chromosome mutation at all doses, but it actually protected the chromosomes against mutation and did so more effectively as the dose of lutein increased. In the PCL and beta-CLAMS tests, lutein proved to be ten times more potent than beta-carotene and 15 times more potent than lycopene. In the beta-CLAMS test, lutein was the only one of the three antioxidants to prevent the oxidation of fat (called ‘peroxidation’) and did so by 34.5%.
For the researchers, the results of their study “suggest that lutein is not only safe, but can potentially help reduce risks of human chronic diseases.”
Reference:
1 J.S. Bertram, Carotenoids enhance gap junction communication and inhibit lipid peroxidation in C3H/10T/2 cells: relationship to their cancer chemopreventive action, Carcinogenesis 12 (1991) (1), pp. 109–114
2 Choi JS. Inhibition of nNOS and COX-2 expression by lutein in acute retinal ischemia. Nutrition 2006, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 2 May 2006
3 T.S. Wong, Effects of lutein from marigold extract on immunity and growth of mammary tumors in mice, Anticancer Research 16 (1996), pp. 3689–3694
4 S.J. Schwartz, Carotenoids composition of marigold (Tagetes erecta) flower extract used as nutritional supplement, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 47 (1999) (10), pp. 4189–4194
5 Glamm JE. Xanthophylls and alpha-tocopherol decrease UVB-induced lipid peroxidation and stress signaling in human lens epithelial cells. J Nutr. 2004 Dec;134(12):3225-32.
6 E. Giovannucci, Intake of specific carotenoids and risk of lung cancer in 2 prospective US cohorts, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 72 (2000), pp. 990–997.
7 J.D. Potter, Carotenoids and colon cancer, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 71 (2000), pp. 575–582
8 FDA Website http://www.fda.gov
9 Wang M. Antioxidant activity, mutagenicity/anti-mutagenicity, and clastogenicity/anti-clastogenicity of lutein from marigold flowers. Food Chem Toxicol 2006; 44(9): 1522-1529
10 D.E. Pratt, Chia seeds as a source of natural lipid antioxidants,
Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society 61 (1984), pp. 928–931
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