Lutein boosts eye health, preventing cataracts and macular degeneration

[Guest guest]

Lutein boosts eye health, preventing cataracts and macular degeneration http://www.newstarget.com/010203.html Fruits and vegetables have yet another disease-fighting weapon tooffer you: Lutein. Studies show this carotenoid prevents and, to someextent, reverses vision loss, immune system problems, cancer andcardiovascular disease. With that in mind, load up your plate withfoods high in lutein -- carrots, corn, kale, spinach, Swiss chard,collard, mustard greens, red peppers, dill, parsley, romaine lettuce,tomatoes, potatoes and red, blue and purple fruits -- and read allabout what this amazing plant nutrient will do for your body. Is your vision blurry? I know mine is after sitting in front of thecomputer for a while. In that case, you and I need to eat morelutein-rich foods, according to Drs. Michael R. and Marc R. Rose. Intheir book, Save Your Sight, they write, "A few weeks after consumingmore lutein-rich foods or lutein supplements, some normal-sightedpeople report less glare, improved color vision and sharper vision."Theory suggests that lutein and its companion carotenoid zeaxanthinmay save our sight by acting "as a shield or filter that helps toabsorb harmful UVB light and dangerous free-radical molecules, both ofwhich threaten the retinal tissue," according to Life ExtensionFoundation's Disease Prevention and Treatment. Though everyone's sight could benefit from a diet high in lutein, itcan literally save the sight of those who have family histories ofmacular degeneration and other vision loss problems. If someone inyour family has experienced loss of sight in old age, then yourhigh-lutein diet should start long before you reach middle age. In aHarvard University-based study, women with diets high in lutein andzeaxanthin experienced a 22 percent reduced risk of cataracts, whilemen reduced their risk by 19 percent, according to Reader's Digest'sFight Back with Food. Based on a study described by Laurie Deutsch Mozian in her book, Foodsthat Fight Disease, a dietary intake of only six milligrams of luteinper day decreases your chances of developing age-related maculardegeneration by 43 percent. For that reason, in Bill Gottlieb'sAlternative Cures, Dr. Mark Grossman of the Integral Health Center inRye and New Paltz, New York, advises, "Everyone over the age of 50should be taking lutein supplements." However, if you are alreadyexperiencing macular degeneration or other vision problems, ahigh-lutein diet can still help you save your sight by increasing thedensity of your macular pigment. "Macular degeneration may bestabilized or reversed with nutritional intervention," says Dr.Grossman. He later goes on to say, "By far, it's (lutein) the numberone nutritional treatment for the disease." Not only will lutein save your sight, it may also boost your immunesystem and, accordingly, prevent cancer. "Healthy people seeking toboost overall immune function should consider consuming 5,000 IU ofbeta-carotene daily, along with other carotenoids, such as lycopeneand lutein," writes the Life Extension Foundation. By boosting yourimmunity, lutein decreases your chances of getting cancer, sincedevelopment of cancer as a disease is associated with immune systemimpairment. I know you've probably heard this a million times, butjust in case you haven't, I'll say it again: We all have cancer cells.Cancer cells develop in our bodies all the time, but our immunesystems normally remove the malignant cells before they can developinto the symptoms we call cancer. In addition to boosting your immunesystem, lutein may also fight cancer by both protecting your cellsfrom free radical damage and increasing cell-to-cell communication,thus preventing them from turning malignant. However lutein prevents cancer, we know it works. According toProfessor Ralph Moss' book, Antioxidants against Cancer, more than 250scientific papers demonstrate lutein's potential as an anti-canceragent. In a study described in Mark Stengler's Natural Physician'sHealing Therapies, people with high-lutein diets at any age decreasedtheir chances of developing colon cancer by 17 percent; furthermore,young people with high-lutein diets decreased their chances by 34percent. Studies show that a diet high in lutein will also decreaseyour chances of other cancers, including cancers of the lung andbreast. According to a study reported in Disease Prevention andTreatment, women who have low levels of lutein have a 2.08-foldincreased risk of breast cancer, so not eating enough lutein-richfoods can actually harm you. In this age of fast food and junk food, cardiovascular disease is moreprevalent than ever. Instead of eating french fries as our vegetables,we should be eating more lutein-rich foods. The Life ExtensionFoundation reports the results in one study, in which participantswith the highest blood levels of lutein showed virtually no arterialwall thickening. "This was a good sign that the bad LDL cholesterolhad not oxidized inside them and formed the dangerous plaque that canlead to heart attacks," the editors of FC & A Medical Publishingconclude from the results of the same study. High-lutein diets caneven decrease smokers' odds of developing cardiovascular disease,according to a study Selena Yeager describes in her book, New FoodsFor Healing. In this study of 1,900 men, smokers with high luteinlevels in their blood experienced 25 percent fewer heart attacks thanthose with low lutein levels. It's easy to add more lutein to your diet because it's found in somany foods. Just refer back to the list you read above. Moreover,"lutein is five times more readily available from vegetables thanbeta-carotene," writes Professor Moss. Just adding a few more fruitsand vegetables to your plate each day may save your sight, boost yourimmune system, prevent you from developing cancer and reduce yourchances of having a heart attack. It's so easy to be so healthy. The experts speak on lutein and its health benefits:Other useful nutrients for ensuring vision health are the carotenoidslutein, lycopene, and zeaxanthin. Food sources of lutein: kale,collard and mustard greens, spinach, Swiss chard, red peppers,parsley, romaine lettuce, dill, celery, carrots, corn, tomatoes,potatoes, and red, blue, and purple fruits...Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 946 … Even though cooking any food reduces the amount of lutein … willabsorb more of that protective substance if you add a little bit offat when cooking. … use olive oil instead of animal fats.Eat and Heal by the Editors of FC & A Medical Publishing, page 229 Lutein and vision-health benefits A few weeks after consuming more lutein-rich foods or luteinsupplements, some normal-sighted people report less glare, improvedcolor vision, and sharper vision.Save Your Sight by Marc R Rose MD and Michael R Rose MD, page 73 A study conducted by researchers at Harvard University showed thatwomen with the highest intake of dietary lutein (and its companioncarotenoid, zeaxanthin) had a 22% reduced risk for cataracts, whilemen reduced their risk by 19%.Fight Back With Food by Readers Digest, page 73 … The study showed that a daily intake of 6 milligrams of lutein wasassociated with a 43-percent lower incidence of age-related maculardegeneration.Foods That Fight Disease by Laurie Deutsch Mozian MS RD, page 122 "Everyone over the age of 50 should be taking lutein supplements," Dr.Grossman says. That's because many scientific studies have shown thatregular intake of the nutrient, which is a pigment found in leafygreen vegetables such as kale, collard greens, and spinach, canprevent macular degeneration, he says.Alternative Cures by Bill Gottlieb, page 428 … "Macular degeneration may be stabilized or reversed with nutritionalintervention," says Marc Grossman, O.D., an optometrist, licensedacupuncturist, and codirector of the Integral Health Center in Rye andNew Paltz, New York. And the single most important nutrient to preventor treat it is lutein.Alternative Cures by Bill Gottlieb, page 428 Besides preventing the condition, lutein may be able to stop or evenreverse existing macular degeneration by increasing the density of themacula pigment. "By far, it's the number one nutritional treatment forthe disease," Dr. Grossman says.Alternative Cures by Bill Gottlieb, page 428 lutein … WithZeaxanthin forms eye macular pigment in the retinacavity, protects against Aging Macular Degeneration of the eye (AMD),the main cause of blindness after age 40 (usewithBilberry).Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 50 … lutein … zeaxanthin … Together, these two carotenoids help protectvarious delicate tissues from free radical damage. lutein even beatsbeta-carotene at protecting fats inside eye cells from such damage.Antioxidants Against Cancer by Ralph Moss PhD, page 36 … The fact that lutein and zeaxanthin are particularly concentrated inthese parts of the eye suggests that they may act as a shield orfilter that helps to absorb harmful UVB light and dangerousfree-radical molecules, both of which threaten the retinal tissue …Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 1368 Lutein and immune system function in general … Healthy people seeking to boost overall immune function shouldconsider consuming 5000 IU of beta-carotene daily, along with othercarotenoids, such as lycopene and lutein.Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 901 … When plasma levels were measured for all antioxidant micronutrientsin persons with HIV and in controls, it was observed that thesepatients showed a significant depletion of all carotenoids (lutein,lycopene, alpha-carotene, etc.) and vitamin C. …Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 901 Lutein as an anti-cancer agent … A family of nutrients called lutein and zeaxanthin…. They'reantioxidants, which means that they have the ability to neutralizeharmful free radicals. In this way, antioxidants (see related ebook onantioxidants) safeguard the maculae against free-radical damage.Blended Medicine by Michael Castleman, page 19 … lutein in spinach prevents normal cells from converting to abnormalcells by improving cell-to-cell communication. …The Origin Diet by Elizabeth Somer, page 71 "Lutein and lycopene possess exceptionally high antioxidant capacitycompared to other carotenoids and may be useful in preventing cancer,"said Dr. Fred Khachik, a chemist with the U.S. Department ofAgriculture. lutein promotes healthy immunity and decreases the growthof cancer. There are already over 250 scientific papers referring tolutein's potential as an anticancer agent. And lutein is five timesmore readily available from vegetables than beta-carotene.Antioxidants Against Cancer by Ralph Moss PhD, page 36 A recent study showed that high-lutein diets were associated with a 17percent decrease in colon cancer risk, and young people with a diethigh in lutein had a 34 percent lower risk of colon cancer.Natural Physicians Healing Therapies by Mark Stengler ND, page 91 … Eating a lutein-rich diet cut colon cancer risk by 17%. …Theory:lutein protects colon cells from damage caused by highly reactivecompounds called free radicals. Good sources of lutein includetomatoes, carrots, oranges, broccoli, kale, Romaine lettuce and spinach.Bottom Line Yearbook 2002 by Bottom Line Personnel, page 305 At Japan's National Cancer Center Research Institute in Tokyo,scientists showed that lutein protects against the formation of coloncancer, as measured by the number of pre-cancers per mouse. (203,308)Antioxidants Against Cancer by Ralph Moss PhD, page 36 …Selenium, lycopene, lutein, and glutathione have been associated witha reduced risk of lung cancer. …Prescription For Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A Balch CNC and JamesF Balch MD, page 258 … The risk of breast cancer associated with low levels of othercarotenoids was similar, that is, a 2.08-fold increased risk if luteinis deficient … Analysis showed that lycopene was associated withdecreased breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women, but inpremenopausal women, lutein offered greater protection (Hulten et al.2001).Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 220 Lutein has many beneficial effects in experimental animals. Itincreases the time until the tumor appears, suppresses the growth ofbreast tumors, and also enhances the growth of normal white bloodcells. (340) What was particularly exciting was that very low amountsof lutein, comprising no more than two-thousands of the overall dietby weight, "can efficiently decrease mammary [breast] tumordevelopment and growth in mice." (341)Antioxidants Against Cancer by Ralph Moss PhD, page 36 Lutein and cardiovascular health For example, individuals participating in the Toulouse study who hadhigher blood levels of lutein also had a lower incidence of coronaryartery disease … Participants with the highest blood levels of luteinshowed virtually no artery wall thickening, while those with thelowest lutein levels showed increased arterial thickness. In addition,lutein reduces the oxidation of LDL cholesterol…Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 466 The study followed 480 middle-aged men and women for 18 months. Duringthat time, those who had the most lutein in their bloodstream hadalmost no increase in the thickness of their carotid (neck) arteries.This was a good sign that the bad LDL cholesterol had not oxidizedinside them and formed the dangerous plaque that can lead to heartattacks. Results of two other parts of the study, one done in the labwith human tissue and the other with mice, supported the findings ofthe first.The Folk Remedy Encyclopedia by the Editors of FC & A MedicalPublishing, page 184 In a study of almost 1,900 men, Dr. Morris and his colleagues foundthat men who had the most carotenoids in their blood—not justbeta-carotene but also such things as lutein and zeaxanthin—had 72percent fewer heart attacks than those with the lowest levels. Evensmokers, …who got the most of these protective compounds had 25percent fewer heart attacks than those who got the least.New Foods For Healing by Selene Yeager, page 517 Dr. James Dwyer, who led this research, recommends eating plenty oflutein-rich foods to keep your arteries clear. "A diet rich invegetables, including the dark green leafy variety," he says, "willprovide sufficient lutein to achieve the levels of persons in our study."The Folk Remedy Encyclopedia by the Editors of FC & A MedicalPublishing, page 184 Lutein may also offer protection against lung infections andosteoarthritis … Thirdly, certain plant alcohols in the leaves (notably xanthophyllor lutein) disinfect the lungs, making it much harder for the bacillito remain there.Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Healing Juices by John Heinerman, page 117 Other antioxidants — beta cryptoxanthine, lutein, and lycopene —appeared to lower the chances of getting OA of the knee by 30 to 40percent, Jordan says. These phytochemicals, which are common in orangeand green vegetables and tomatoes, put you ahead of the game when itcomes to arthritis protection.The Folk Remedy Encyclopedia by the Editors of FC & A MedicalPublishing, page 256 Overview: * Lutein boosts eye health, preventing cataracts and maculardegeneration Source: http://www.newstarget.com/010203.html