12 Foods for Better Vision & Performance
It happens to all of us in midlife.
You look down at the menu one day, and seemingly out of nowhere, you can’t read the fine print.
Or, you find yourself taking photos of small print on labels and ‘zooming in’ to make it read-able.
If this sounds familiar, you need to start better supporting your eyes.
What’s Happens to Vision As You Age?
The area of the eye that controls central vision, color, and fine detail is called the macula. It’s located at the back of the eye (or retina).
The macula contains a yellowish pigment made up of three key carotenoids; lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin.
This macular pigment area protects against oxidative damage to the retina that accumulates as you age.
The more time you spend outside in the sun, the more potential for oxidative stress on the macula.
The more time you spend sitting in front of a computer, again, the bluelight can lead to higher oxidative stress.
In fact, macular degeneration actually starts in your late 40s to 50s (even though it feels like a condition for those 60 and over).
Can You Test Macular Pigment Levels?
The density of those carotenoid pigments – lutein and zeaxanthine – are a good barometer for your eye health.
The scientific term is macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and a MPOD test is used in a laboratory setting to assess for the carotenoid levels of your eye.
Research shows the lower the density of the carotenoid or MPOD levels of your eyes, the greater your risk for age-related macular degeneration.(1)
Not only that, the research highlights the inverse relationship to also be true.
Low intakes of lutein and zeaxanthine are strongly associated with increased risk of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.(2,3)
Benefits of Lutein & Zeaxanthine
Lutein and zeaxanthine play a fundamental role in protecting your eye from oxidative stress of light and thus prevent or slow age-related macular degeneration.(4-6)
The benefits of consuming lutein and zeaxanthine also extend to improvements in key parameters of visual function, such as:
- visual acuity (7)
- glare recovery (8)
- contrast sensitivity (9)
Watch this short clip on Instagram on lutein and eye health.
Can You Get Lutein from Your Diet?
Humans can’t make lutein and zeaxanthine internally in the body, so you must obtain it from your diet or supplementation.
The good news is there are lot of great foods sources of lutein and zeaxanthine.
The bad news is, too many people still don’t get enough.
Population-based data indicate that the average intake of lutein and zeaxanthin from dietary sources is approximately 1 to 2 mg per day.(10-12)
While this is a sufficient intake of zeaxanthine, it falls short of the ideal range to support the macula (eye) for lutein.
The ideal dose of lutein is approximately 10 mg daily, while zeaxanthine is 2mg daily.
Consuming enough lutein and zeaxanthine is essential to maintaining macular health, and thus, your eye health.
Vegetables provide the biggest bang for your buck to obtain both lutein and zeaxanthine.
See the list here below (serving size is 1/2 cup, cooked):
· kale – 15mg lutein & 15mg zeaxanthine
· collard greens (1 cup cooked) – 8.1mg lutein & 8.7mg zeaxanthine
· spinach – 7.0mg lutein & 7.5mg zeaxanthine
· broccoli – 2.2mg lutein & 1.7mg zeaxanthine
· corn – 1.8mg lutein & 1.5mg zeaxanthine
· Brussels sprouts - 1.3mg lutein & 1.0mg zeaxanthine
· carrots (raw, baby) - 0.36mg lutein & 0.36mg zeaxanthine
Fruit can also provide a good dose of both lutein and zeaxanthine, but not quite as robust as vegetable sources:
· orange – 0.20mg lutein & 0.25mg zeaxanthine
· peaches – 0.57mg lutein & 0.50mg zeaxanthine
· melon – 0.40mg lutein & 0.32mg zeaxanthine
· grapefruit – 0.13mg lutein & 0.19mg zeaxanthine
· tomatoes - 0.40mg lutein & 0.48mg zeaxanthine
If you’re not eating enough of these vegetables and fruits, it’s time to start including more regularly into your routine.
What About Supplements, Do They Work?
Research on the supplemental use of lutein and zeaxanthine has shown impressive benefit for eye health.
A recent study at the University of Georgia on 28 volunteers examined the effects of lutein and zeaxanthine on macular pigment density.(13)
They divided the participants into four groups:
· Group 1 - placebo (e.g. safflower oil)
· Group 2 - 6mg Lutein + 1mg Zeaxanthine
· Group 3 - 10mg Lutein + 2mg Zeaxanthine
· Group 4 - 20mg Lutein + 4mg Zeaxanthine
The study participants took one capsule daily with food and followed their normal diet. What did they uncover?
All three groups supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthine obtained an increase in serum macular carotenoids. The greatest increase at 12 weeks was seen in Groups 3 and 4, at doses of 10-20mg lutein and 2-4mg zeaxanthine.
The ‘sweet spot’ for benefit appears to be 10mg of lutein and 2mg zeaxanthine daily.
To Sum Up
The role of lutein and zeaxanthine in supporting macular pigment density and eye health is very clear in the research.
The better your macular carotenoid density, the slower the age-related decline in vision.
A food first approach, or supplementation, or a combination of the two are all effective strategies to prevent or slow macular degeneration as you age.
Level up your intake to better support your visual acuity and performance.
…
PS. Interested in PEAK40 Coaching? Click image above.
References
1). Connolly EE, Beatty S, et al. (2011) Supplementation with all three macular carotenoids: response, stability, and safety. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 52: 9207-9217.
2) Ma L, Dou HL, et al. (2012) Lutein and zeaxanthin intake and the risk of age-related macular degeneration: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Nutr 107: 350-359.
3) Barker FM 2nd (2010) Dietary supplementation: effects on visual performance and occurrence of AMD and cataracts. Curr Med Res Opin 26: 2011-2023.
4) EFSA. EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS);
Scientific Opinion on the reevaluation of lutein (E 161b) as a food additive on request of the European Commission (question no EFSA-Q-2008-787, adopted on 7 July 2010 by European Food Safety Authority). EFSA J 2010; 8:1678.
5) Shao A, Hathcock JN (2006) Risk assessment for the carotenoids lutein and lycopene. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 45: 289-298.
6) Whitehead AJ, Mares JA, Danis RP (2006) Macular pigment: a review of current knowledge. Arch Ophthalmol 124: 1038-1045.
7) van der Made SM, et al. (2016) Increased Macular Pigment Optical Density and Visual Acuity following Consumption of a Buttermilk Drink Containing Lutein-Enriched Egg Yolks: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Ophthalmol: 9035745.
8) Lien EL, Hammond BR (2011) Nutritional influences on visual development and function. Prog Retin Eye Res 30: 188-203.
9) Richer S, Stiles W, et al. (2004) “Double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of lutein and antioxidant supplementation in the intervention of atrophic age-related macular degeneration: the Veterans LAST study (Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial),”. Optometry 75: 216-230.
10) IOM. ß-Carotene and other carotenoids. In: Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. Panel on Dietary Antioxidants and Related Compounds, Subcommittees on Upper Reference Levels of Nutrients and Interpretation and Uses of DRIs, Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine (IOM). Washington (DC): National Academy Press (NAP), 2000; pp. 325-382.
11) EFSA. EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS); Scientific Opinion on the reevaluation of lutein (E 161b) as a food additive on request of the European Commission (question no EFSA-Q-2008-787, adopted on 7 July 2010 by European Food Safety Authority). EFSA J 2010; 8:1678.
12) Shao A, Hathcock JN (2006) Risk assessment for the carotenoids lutein and lycopene. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 45: 289-298.
13. Vijaya Juturu1*, James P Bowman2, et al. Bioavailability of lutein/zeaxanthin isomers and macular pigment optical density response to macular carotenoid supplementation: A randomized double blind placebo controlled study. New Frontiers Opthamology. Vo. 2(4): 140-145.