These nutritional supplements have been proven to be beneficial for your well being if you have any of the following diseases: Dry eye, cataract, macula degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy patients. These Nutritional supplements have proven to not only be superior for the eye, but for the whole body. For your convenience, the Michigan Eyecare Institute has given you the option of purchasing these nutritional supplements right from our office. Select one of the following eye care products to bring up more information!
Zeaxanthin
Zeaxanthin Product Information
Zeaxanthin is one of the two carotenoids contained within the retina. Within the central macula, zeaxanthin is the dominat component. Zeaxanthin-4 includes four mg of zeaxanthin with 30 mg of fat soluble ascorbyl palmitate Vitamin C.
Biosyntrx is returning the value-based Zeaxanthin-4 to our product line to meet the overwhelming demands of our prescribing retinal specialist.
Zeaxanthin Condition Overview
Zeaxanthin is suggested in peer-reviewed literature to be the central macula preference over lutein. Zeaxanthin is preferentially deposited at a 2:1 ratio vs. lutein in the center of the macula. If the diet is deficient in zeaxanthin, which most diets are, the macula preference for zeaxanthin is so strong the body will attempt to convert a small amount of dietary lutein to a similar molecule called meso-zeaxanthin in an attempt to supply the eye with pigment that best protects the macula.
Scientific Rationale Behind Zeaxanthin
Scientific research has established that dietary zeaxanthin plays an essential role in protecting the retina of the eye from the damaging effects of light.
From the many carotenoids in the diet, the human retina selectively accumulates only two: zeasanthin and lutein. Their concentration is so high in the macula they are visible as a dark yellow spot called the macular pigment.
Macula pigment has been implicated as a risk factor in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most prevalent cause of vision loss in the elderly. Significantly lower macular pigment levels have been found in people with factors known to increase risk for AMD.
An interesting study was recently presented in an ARVO poster that suggests activation of retinal nuclear factor kappa beta (NFkB), an early event in the development of retinopathies, including diabetes-induced oxidative damage, mitochondrial super oxide and nitrative stress in the retina, may be prevented with supplemental zeaxanthin.
A Biosyntrx Editorial on Zeaxanthin and Lutein:
It's important that consumers and eye care professionals become aware that the xanthophyll carotenoids, zeaxanthin and lutein are now being included in formulations (including the AREDs2 formulation) to replace the antioxidant singlet oxygen quenching hydro-carbon carotenoid, beta-carotene. None of the new formulations are including Vitamin A, as retinyl palmitate when they remove the beta-carotene.
Beta-carotene has the ability to convert to retinol, if the vitamin A liver stores are deficient, which they are in many older people. Vitamin A deficiency is responsible for most night driving.
Unfortunately, unlike beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and lutein have almost no ability to convert to Vitamin A retinol, so the science behind the substitution is a bit flawed - since Vitamin A retinol is vital to the health of the retina, specifically the rods and cones.
The best solution: supplement with biochemically balanced amounts of beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, and vitamin A as retinyl palmitate, in a full-spectrum supplement. Additional zeaxanthin or lutein supplementation should be the decision of the consumer and his or her eye care professional.
* Further investigation of the data presented in the infamous Finnish ATBC study suggests that smokers who consume a wide variety of dietary antioxidants, including reasonable amounts of supplemental beta carotene, have a substantially lower risk of developing lung cancer.
