Yaeyama Chlorella is a natural wholefood containing a plethora of essential nutrients, as well as 13.47mg of lutein per 3g serving. As Chlorella is a wholefood its nutrients are not extracts or artificially synthesised - meaning you can be sure this lutein is completely available to the body. Lutein is believed to preserve eye health, and research suggests it is effective against cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Promote Eye Health

The eyes are repositories for carotenoids with lutein and zeaxanthin concentrated in the retina and lens. Observational studies have noted that higher dietary intake of lutein and zeaxanthin is related to reduced risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, two eye conditions for which there is minimal options when it comes to effective prevention. Researchers speculate that these carotenoids may promote eye health through their ability to protect the eyes from light-induced oxidative damage and aging through both their antioxidant actions as well as their ability to filter out UV light.

Deficiency Symptoms

A low dietary intake of carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin is not known to directly cause any diseases or health conditions, at least in the short term although long-term inadequate intake of carotenoids is associated with chronic disease, including heart disease and various cancers. One important mechanism for this carotenoid-disease relationship appears to be free radicals. Research indicates that diets low in carotenoids can increase the body's susceptibility to damage from free radicals. As a result, over the long term, carotenoid-deficient diets may increase tissue damage from free radical activity, and increase risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancers.

Due to low consumption of fruits and vegetables, many adolescents and young adults do not take in enough carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin.

Carotenoids may play a role in the treatment and/or prevention of the following health conditions:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
• Age-related macular degeneration
• Angina pectoris
• Asthma
• Cataracts
• Cervical cancer
• Cervical dysplasia
• Chlamydial infection
• Heart disease
• Laryngeal cancer (cancer of the larynx)
• Lung cancer
• Male and female infertility
• Osteoarthritis
• Photosensitivity
• Pneumonia
• Prostate cancer
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Skin cancer
• Vaginal candidiasis

Food Sources

Green vegetables such as kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, romaine lettuce, broccoli, zucchini,garden peas and Brussel sprouts are among the best sources of lutein and zeaxanthin. For those of us not getting enough green vegetables in our diet, Chlorella provides an ideal concentrated natural source of Lutein and Zeaxanthin supplementation, as the table below shows:

Evidence supports a reduction in the risk of age-related macular degeneration with increasing intake of two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, and a large clinical trial is still ongoing to see if they can influence the progression of this disease.

References

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