MULTIVITAMIN AND CATARACT

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A CATARACT IS A CLOUDING OF THE LENS INSIDE THE EYE THAT LEAD TO A DECREASE IN VISION. IT IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF BLINDNESS WORLDWIDE, ACCOUNTING FOR ABOUT 42% OF ALL BLINDNESS.

THERE IS A PROTECTIVE EFFECT FOR A HIGHER INTAKE OR LEVELS OF VITAMIN E, RIBOFLAVIN, AND FOLATE. MULTIVITAMIN SUPPLEMENTATION FOR AT LEAST ONCE PER WEEK FOR A YEAR OR MORE IS FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A DECREASED RISK OF CATARACT IN LONGITUDINAL STUDY.


ANTIOXIDANTS (VITAMINS & LUTEIN & ZEAXANTHIN) AND AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

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CURRENTLY, ONE IN FIVE PEOPLE OVER AGE 65 ARE LIVING WITH AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION, AND ADULTS WITH ADVANCED MACULAR DEGENERATION HAVE A MARKEDLY REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE AND NEED FOR ASSISTANCE WITH ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING.

IN GENERAL, DIETARY MODIFICATION AND ANTIOXIDANT NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION SHOW PROMISE AS APPROACHES TO THE PREVENTION OF VISUAL LOSS FROM AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION. VITAMINS AND MINERALS WITH ANTIOXIDANT EFFECT SUCH AS CAROTENOIDS, VITAMIN E, ZINC, VITAMIN A, VITAMIN C ARE BENEFICIAL FOR DELAYING AGEING PROCESS. HOWEVER, HIGH CONCENTRATION OF LUTEIN AND ZEAXANTHIN IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE POTENTIAL ANTIOXIDANTS FOR EYES AS THEY INHIBIT LIPID PEROXIDATION ( A PART OF AGE PROCESS) IN EYES.


ZINC & VITAMIN C AND EYE HEALTH

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ZINC PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN EYE HEALTH AS IT PROTECTS EYES FROM AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION. ZINC IN THE PHOTORECEPTOR MEMBRANES OF RETINA PLAY A ROLE IN PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS THAT IS ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAIN PROPER CELL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF RETINA CELLS.

VITAMIN C IS IMPORTANT TO EYE HEALTH BECAUSE OF ITS ROLE IN PROTECTING THE PROTEINS OF THE LENS FROM OXIDATION, IN SERVING AS AN ANTIOXIDANT AGENTS IN THE RETINA, AND IN PROMOTING WOUND HEALING IN THE CORNEA. VITAMIN C IS INVOLVED IN THE SYNTHESIS AND METABOLISM OF COLLAGEN IN THE CORNEA. ALSO, IT PROTECT THE LENS AND RETINA FROM OXIDATIVE STRESS, AS AN ABSORBER OF UV RADIATION IN THE CORNEA AND AQUEOUS HUMOR.


B COMPLEX VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES AND NUTRITIONAL AMBLYOPIA

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AMBLYOPIA, ALSO CALLED LAZY EYE, IS A DISORDER OF SIGHT, WHICH USUALLY COMES WITH POOR DEPTH PERCEPTION AND SPATIAL ACUITY. PEOPLE USUALLY DEVELOP THIS CONDITION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD AND USUALLY ARE NOT EVEN AWARE THEY HAVE THE CONDITION UNTIL TESTED AT OLDER AGES BECAUSE THE VISION IN THEIR STRONGER EYE IS NORMAL.

NUTRITIONAL AMBLYOPIA IS DUE TO DIETARY DEFICIENCY AND GENERALLY REVERSIBLE IF TREATED WITH PROPER DIET AND MIXED B VITAMINS WITHIN 2 OR 3 MONTHS OF ONSET. THIAMIN, NIACIN, RIBOFLAVIN, VITAMIN B12 AND FOLATE ALONE OR IN COMBINATION HELP REDUCE THE RISK OF CONDITION AS THEY PLAY A ROLE IN THE PROPER METABOLISM OF NUTRIENTS IN EYES.

ALVES-RODRIGUES A, SHAO A. 2004. THE SCIENCE BEHIND LUTEIN. TOXICOLOGY LETTERS 150(1): 57-83.

BERENDSCHOT TT, GOLDBOHM RA, KLÖPPING WA, VAN DE KRAATS J, VAN NOREL J, VAN NORREN D. 2000. INFLUENCE OF LUTEIN SUPPLEMENTATION ON MACULAR PIGMENT, ASSESSED WITH TWO OBJECTIVE TECHNIQUES. INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE 41(11):3322-3326.

BLAKELY S, HERBERT A, COLLINS M, JENKINS M, MITCHELL G, GRUNDEL E, O'NEILL KR, KHACHIK F. 2003. LUTEIN INTERACTS WITH ASCORBIC ACID MORE FREQUENTLY THAN WITH ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL TO ALTER BIOMARKERS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS IN FEMALE ZUCKER OBESE RATS. THE JOURNAL OF NUTRITION 133(9): 2838-2844.

BONE RA, LANDRUM JT. 2010. DOSE-DEPENDENT RESPONSE OF SERUM LUTEIN AND MACULAR PIGMENT OPTICAL DENSITY TO SUPPLEMENTATION WITH LUTEIN ESTERS. ARCHIVES OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS 504(1):50-55.

BROWN L, RIMM EB, SEDDON JM, GIOVANNUCCI EL, CHASAN-TABER L, SPIEGELMAN D, WILLETT WC, HANKINSON SE. 1999. A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF CAROTENOID INTAKE AND RISK OF CATARACT EXTRACTION IN US MEN. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION 70(4):517-524.

CHASAN-TABER L, WILLETT WC, SEDDON JM, STAMPFER MJ, ROSNER B, COLDITZ GA, SPEIZER FE, HANKINSON SE. 1999. A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF CAROTENOID AND VITAMIN A INTAKES AND RISK OF CATARACT EXTRACTION IN US WOMEN. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION 70(4):509-516.

CHEMID 2011: CHEMIDPLUS ADVANCED [INTERNET]. BETHESDA (MD): UNITED STATES NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE; 2011. [LUTEIN, LUTEIN ESTERS: CAS # 127-40-2].

CHRISTEN WG, LIU S, GLYNN RJ, GAZIANO JM, BURING JE. 2008. DIETARY CAROTENOIDS, VITAMINS C AND E, AND RISK OF CATARACT IN WOMEN: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY. ARCHIVES OF OPHTHALMOLOGY 126(1): 102-109.

DWYER JH, NAVAB M, DWYER KM, HASSAN K, SUN P, SHIRCORE A, HAMA-LEVY S, HOUGH G, WANG X, DRAKE T, MERZ CN, FOGELMAN AM. 2001. OXYGENATED CAROTENOID LUTEIN AND PROGRESSION OF EARLY ATHEROSCLEROSIS: THE LOS ANGELES ATHEROSCLEROSIS STUDY. CIRCULATION 103(24):2922-2927.

ALVES-RODRIGUES A, SHAO A. THE SCIENCE BEHIND LUTEIN. TOXICOLOGY LETTERS 2004;150(1):57-83.

SHAO A AND HATHCOCK JN. RISK ASSESSMENT FOR THE CAROTENOIDS LUTEIN AND LYCOPENE. REGULATORY TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2006;45(3):289-98.

This page is not intended to be a comprehensive review of the medicinal ingredient.