Granado F, Olmedilla B, Blanco I
Servicio de Endocrinología y Nutricíon, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain.
Br J Nutr. 2003 Sep;90(3):487-502. doi: 10.1079/bjn2003927.
Lutein is one of the most widely found carotenoids distributed in fruits and vegetables frequently consumed. Its presence in human tissues is entirely of dietary origin. Distribution of lutein among tissues is similar to other carotenoids but, along with zeaxanthin, they are found selectively at the centre of the retina, being usually referred to as macular pigments. Lutein has no provitamin A activity in man but it displays biological activities that have attracted great attention in relation to human health. Epidemiological studies have shown inconsistent associations between high intake or serum levels of lutein and lower risk for developing cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer, cataracts and age-related maculopathy. Also, lutein supplementation has provided both null and positive results on different biomarkers of oxidative stress although it is effective in increasing macular pigment concentration and in improving visual function in some, but not all, subjects with different eye pathologies. Overall, data suggest that whereas serum levels of lutein have, at present, no predictive, diagnostic or prognostic value in clinical practice, its determination may be very helpful in assessing compliance and efficacy of intervention as well as potential toxicity. In addition, available evidence suggests that a serum lutein concentration between 0.6 and 1.05 micromol/l seems to be a safe, dietary achievable and desirable target potentially associated with beneficial impact on visual function and, possibly, on the development of other chronic diseases. The use of lutein as a biomarker of exposure in clinical practice may provide some rationale for assessing its relationship with human health as well as its potential use within the context of evidence-based medicine.
叶黄素是在常见食用水果和蔬菜中分布最广泛的类胡萝卜素之一。人体组织中的叶黄素完全来源于饮食。叶黄素在组织中的分布与其他类胡萝卜素相似，但它与玉米黄质一起，选择性地存在于视网膜中央，通常被称为黄斑色素。叶黄素在人体内没有维生素A原活性，但它具有一些生物学活性，这些活性在人类健康方面引起了极大关注。流行病学研究表明，叶黄素的高摄入量或血清水平与心血管疾病、几种癌症、白内障和年龄相关性黄斑病变的低发病风险之间的关联并不一致。此外，尽管叶黄素补充剂对一些（但并非所有）患有不同眼部疾病的受试者有效增加黄斑色素浓度和改善视觉功能，但在氧化应激的不同生物标志物方面，补充叶黄素的结果既有阴性的也有阳性的。总体而言，数据表明，虽然目前叶黄素的血清水平在临床实践中没有预测、诊断或预后价值，但其测定对于评估干预的依从性、疗效以及潜在毒性可能非常有帮助。此外，现有证据表明，血清叶黄素浓度在0.6至1.05微摩尔/升之间似乎是一个安全、通过饮食可达到的理想目标，可能对视觉功能以及其他慢性疾病的发展产生有益影响。在临床实践中使用叶黄素作为暴露生物标志物，可能为评估其与人类健康的关系以及在循证医学背景下的潜在用途提供一些理论依据。
