Lutein and Its Many Health Benefits

Many eye vitamin supplements contain lutein. You may wonder what lutein is and its health benefits. Read on.

Lutein is a carotenoid vitamin. It is linked to vitamin A and beta-carotene which are all good for eye health. Lutein is found on dark, green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach and broccoli. It can also be found on corn, kiwi fruit, grapes and eggs.

Lutein is also an antioxidant that helps provide skin elasticity and hydration. It is also found in the eye which makes it a good eye vitamin to help prevent eye diseases like age related macular degeneration (AMD), and cataracts.

Lutein also plays a good role in heart health because it is present in the blood serum which helps in preventing buildup of plaque in the arteries.

You can take lutein as a vitamin supplement or by eating goods rich in lutein.

supplement

kale

(Photo not mine)

broccoli

(Photo not mine)

Foods That Boost Your Eye Health

We tend to overlook one of the important senses we have been given - our eyesight. A lot of the younger generation now are wearing spectacle for poor vision caused by eye-strain due to prolonged looking at TVs, smart phones, gadgets, etc.

For the lucky ones who are still not wearing glasses because of their good eyesight, we can improve our eye health more by eating foods that are good for our eyesight. Here are some food we can include in our daily meals so we can get enough Vitamins A, E and D, lutein (an antioxidant which helps in preventing macular degeneration and cataracts), zeaxanthin (another form of antioxidant),  zinc (a mineral that helps the body produce melanin which protects our eyes from the harmful effects of UV light), omega-3 fatty acids,

carrots

egg

kale

milk

oyster

salmon

sunflower

(photo credit: ivillage.com)